Studying Annelida Body Regeneration Under Environmental Stress in Diopatra neapolitana

The polychaete Diopatra neapolitana is a cosmopolitan annelid that can robustly regenerate both its anterior and posterior body part depending on the position of the amputation. Previous studies demonstrated that body regeneration represents a sensitive and unspecific response to environmental stresses, including contaminants and climate alterations.The posterior body regeneration of D. neapolitana is thus a suitable, ecological and relevant biomarker in ecotoxicological and ecological risk assessment assays. Here we describe the amputation process, the monitoring of the regeneration process of the polychaete D. neapolitana and the quantification of the impact of environmental stresses on its regenerative capacity.