How do Acanthocephala worms obtain necessary nutrients?
Answer
Absorb all necessary nutrients directly across their body wall from the host's intestinal contents.
A highly unusual trait among endoparasitic worms like flatworms or roundworms is that Acanthocephala completely lack a digestive tract. This physiological absence necessitates an alternative method for nutrient acquisition. Consequently, these worms must absorb all the requisite nutrients for survival, growth, and reproduction directly across the surface of their external body wall. This absorption occurs from the surrounding intestinal contents within the definitive host.
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