International Polychaete Day: From Peter Olive
When I learned of the passing of Kristian Fauchald I was saddened but also =
certain that, while a great and rigorous scientist, taxonomist and polychae=
te specialist would be irreplaceable and sorely missed, his mentoring and s=
upport of so many young scientists with interests in polychaetes, would en=
sure that this specialised field of marine biology and taxonomy would conti=
nue to grow from strength to strength. So it has proved; the many tributes=
and contributions posted in his honour, prove beyond doubt, that the inter=
national polychaete community is strong, diverse and better informed than e=
ver.
I had the pleasure of working with Kristian at the international workshop o=
rganised by Christina on the delightful Island of Ischia, this was one of t=
he highlights of my professional career. Thank you to Christina and all t=
hose who contributed to the work shop, it was a watershed event.
I first started working with Polychaetes back in 1966, when I began a study=
of Cirratulus cirratus, and I was soon joined at the Dove Marine Laborator=
y by Pat Hutchins and John Daly, forming a mini polychaete working group in=
NE England. Our joint interests were in the disentanglement of the factor=
s that allow marine organisms to link their reproductive activities to the =
movement of the celestial bodies =96 in other words =93the transduction of =
environmental signals=94. Pat discovered that her worm would breed only on=
New Years day (or very nearly), John found that his scale worm bred on jus=
t two days in the year, each with a very precise system of timing, involvin=
g photoperiodism, long term rhythms, temperature, signal transduction etc. =
My worm, on the other hand, to my great frustration, took no notice of the=
environmental signals at all, and you could find fully gravid females all =
the year round. The males could be described as =91steady dribblers=92, as=
they always contained active sperm to fertilise the eggs of any female tha=
t happened to spawn nearby. However exceptions often prove the rule, and o=
ver the years, with my students, I went on to investigate the reproductive =
biology, endocrinology and environmental transduction of some 15 different =
species of polychaete. I hesitate to list their names, as the studies of K=
ristian and those who have learned from, and with him, make me realise what=
a rather cavalier attitude to the naming of species I sometimes fell prone=
to. What should I call my dear large virens worm? Each species we studie=
d did its own thing, as each species had developed its own unique system of=
reproductive control. Some exhibited quite remarkable abilities to control=
their reproduction, often linking the timing of reproductive events to a p=
recise day in the year, phase of the moon and time of day; truly remarkable=
=91clock work worms=92. Their study points to the evolution of circadian =
and circa-tidal biorhythms over geological time spans, during which period,=
they have continued to track the changing duration of the solar day and th=
e lunar month. The study of polychaetes points to the evolution of differe=
nt systems for endocrine control of cellular processes and to the regulatio=
n of energy allocation between functions giving insights into the evolution=
of reproductive systems. The study of their development and regeneration I=
feel certain is sure to flower in the age of bio-informatics. Some would =
argue for the adoption of one or a few =91model=92 species. However given =
the sheer diversity and delightfulness of the group as a whole, I hope that=
there will continue to be a perverse desire to understand them all, in al=
l their glorious diversity. There is no such thing after all as a =91typic=
al=92 worm.
I have now retired and devote my time to other interests, my family, and to=
developing my piano playing, but I continue to follow the daily feeds from=
the polychaete world, I wish every success to those following in the foots=
teps of a true giant =96 Kristian Fauchald.
Peter Olive
Emeritus Professor
School of Marine Science and Technology
Newcastle University.