MARINE biologists have tricked ragworms into breeding at any time of the year. This means that the worms can now be farmed, which should protect the fragile ecosystems of beaches that are regularly dug up to harvest the animals for fishing bait.
Simon Rees and Peter Olive of the University of Newcastle studied the effect of day length on ragworm reproduction. Although they can live for several years, these marine worms put all their efforts into reproducing only onceafter which they die. The timing of breeding is crucial, as the worms release their eggs and sperm into the water, where they mix and fertilise. If one worm spawns just a few hours early, for example, its reproductive cells will not meet those of the other worms and all its efforts will be wasted.
The researchers found that the animals have an internal clock that follows an annual rhythm, but they ...
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