By controlling the traction between its body and the tube wall, a tube-dwelling polychaete can move efficiently from one end of its tube to the other, brace its body during normal functions (e.g., ventilation and feeding), and anchor within its tube avoiding removal by predators. To examine the potential physical interaction between worms and the tubes they live in, scanning electron microscopy was used to reveal and quantify the morphology of worm bodies and the tubes they produce for species representing 13 families of tube-dwelling polychaetes. In the tubes of most species there were macroscopic or nearly macroscopic (∼10 μm–1 mm) bumps or ridges that protruded slightly into the lumen of the tube; these could provide purchase as a worm moves or anchors. At this scale (∼10 μm-1 mm), the surfaces of the chaetal heads that interact with the tube wall were typically small enough to fit within spaces between these bumps (created by the inward projection of exogenous materials incorporated into the tube wall) or ridges (made by secretions on the interior surface of the tube). At a finer scale (0.01–10 μm), there was a second overlap in size, usually between the dentition on the surfaces of chaetae that interact with the tube walls and the texture provided by the secreted strands or microscopic inclusions of the inner linings. These linings had a surprising diversity of micro-textures. The most common micro-texture was a “fabric” of secreted threads, but there were also orderly micro-ridges, wrinkles, and rugose surfaces provided by microorganisms incorporated into the inner tube lining. Understanding the fine structures of tubes in conjunction with the morphologies of the worms that build them gives insight into how tubes are constructed and how worms live within them.

中文翻译：

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纹理和牵引力：管状多毛类动物如何站稳脚跟

通过控制其身体和管壁之间的牵引力，管状多毛类动物可以有效地从管的一端移动到另一端，在正常功能（例如通风和进食）期间支撑其身体，并锚定在管内避免被掠食者清除。为了检查蠕虫与其生活的管子之间潜在的物理相互作用，使用扫描电子显微镜来揭示和量化蠕虫身体的形态以及它们为代表 13 个管状多毛类动物家族的物种产生的管子。在大多数物种的管中，有肉眼可见或近乎肉眼（~10 μm–1 ​​mm）的隆起或脊，略微突出到管腔中；这些可以作为蠕虫移动或锚定提供购买。在这个尺度上（~10 μm-1 mm），与管壁相互作用的毛细管头部表面通常足够小，以适应这些凸起（由掺入管壁的外源材料向内突出形成）或脊（由管壁内表面的分泌物形成）之间的空间。管子）。在更细的尺度上（0.01-10 μm），在尺寸上存在第二次重叠，通常在与管壁相互作用的毛类表面上的牙列与由内衬的分泌链或微观内含物提供的纹理之间。这些衬里具有令人惊讶的微纹理多样性。最常见的微纹理是分泌线的“织物”，但也有有序的微脊、皱纹和由结合到内胎衬里的微生物提供的皱纹表面。