Do woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea) produce endogenous cellulases? |
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| Authors: | M Zimmer W Topp |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology – Physiological Ecology, University of Cologne, Weyertal 119, D-50931 Cologne, Germany, Fax: (221) 470-5038; e-mail: mzimmer@mother.biolan.uni-koeln.de, DE |
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| Abstract: | In studies on digestive processes and microorganisms in the gut of the common woodlouse, Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Oniscidea), we observed marked contradictions between the activity of cellulolytic enzymes and the number of microorganisms.
The anterior hindgut exhibited the highest cellulolytic activity, but was characterized by low microbial counts. Due to the
presence of endosymbiotic bacteria in the midgut lobes that appear to produce cellulases, we suggest that the cellulases that
are active in the hindgut of woodlice are of endogenous origin.
Received: 4 April 1997 |
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| Keywords: | Terrestrial isopods Gut microflora Endosymbiotic bacteria Cellulase Cellulose digestion Decomposition |
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