Studies on ageing in Turbatrix aceti.

Morphologic and physiologic changes which occur during senescence in the free-living nematode Turbatrix aceti are described. With age areas of the interchordal hypodermis containing nerve elements thickened, electron-dense aggregates formed within the pseudocoelom and age pigment granules accumulated within the intestinal epithelium. Specific gravity did not change with age. Old nematodes which had reproduced showed increased osmotic fragility, but this change was not observed in virgin females. The parameters characterizing senescence in T. aceti are compared with those of Caenorhabditis briggsae, another nematode being used as a model to study biological ageing.