Regeneration In Hydra: Regeneration is one of the most beautiful and important processes Mother Nature has blessed us with. It is a process in which an organism revives itself after suffering considerable damage. The cells divide quickly and undergo changes to form various cell types and tissues.
These tissues form into various body parts and organs. The process is carried out by specialised cells called stem cells. Even in the regeneration in Hydra, the same process takes place.
Regeneration in Hydra: A Wonderful Phenomenon
Hydra is an organism found in freshwater. It belongs to the class Hydrozoa. Regeneration in Hydra takes place as its cells get wounded or damaged and begin to revive themselves into the pre-existing cells. It is interesting to note that Regeneration in Hydra had been used as a model for regeneration for a long time.
Here is a step-by-step process of the regeneration in hydra
First, the hydra grows by losing cells continuously from its base and also, by budding.
Then, the head produces what’s called a gradient of inhibitor. What this does is that it prevents the formation of other heads.
The inhibitor concentration is reduced. This increases the positional value.
This essentially leads to a new head preventing any new growth.
Types of Regeneration
There are two types of regeneration. They are:
Morphallaxis: A form of regeneration that depends on tissue repatterning. An example of this kind of regeneration would be the regeneration in hydra. The upper part develops in to head and the lower part develops into foot after being cut.
Epimorphosis: A form of regeneration that depends on the growth of properly patterned structures. An example of this kind of regeneration would be the regeneration of vertebrate limb.
Examples of Organisms That Can Regenerate
Such organisms which have a highly developed regenerative apparatus are the ones that can regenerate. As and when they are wounded, they summon this ability to revive themselves. Examples of such organisms would be hydra, the regeneration of which we discussed above, and tapeworms and flatworms as well.
Other examples would be starfish, crayfish and reptiles.
Regeneration in Plants
It is interesting to note that in plants, regeneration can happen on a full scale. They can regenerate all body parts from what’s called precursor cells. For example, we would all have seen how a tree, cut at the bottom, would regrow after some time. The flowers, leaves and stem develop completely.
Can Humans Regenerate?
As discussed earlier, regeneration is one of the most important processes. It helps the regrowth of damaged tissues, thereby giving back the maximum flexibility to attain earlier strengths.
Just like in plants and animals, humans too have the ability to regenerate tissues. As an example, if there is a loss of the skin tissue owing to burns, we can see that the skin regenerates to a great extent after some time. Apart from the skin tissues, it is interesting to note that even the human liver can regenerate itself to a great extent, after being afflicted with diseases.
So, in simple terms, regeneration is an integral part of the healing process once an organism gets wounded. It is a mechanism to restore normalcy to the best possible limit in order that the organism can carry out its functions in a largely unhindered process.
It should further be noted that regeneration and reproduction are not the same. While regeneration is repairing of lost tissues, reproduction refers to the production of young ones.
We hope this article on Regeneration in Hydra helps you understand the concept better. For more such informative articles, keep visiting Embibe.