About this Research Topic
Universally used Caenorhabditis elegans has proven an indispensable model organism to study molecular and developmental biology. Satellite model species have expanded the scope of foundational research investigations, providing the material to examine development, plasticity, and host-symbiont interactions in evolutionary contexts.
Given the spaces occupied and symbioses maintained, nematodes are integral members of copious communities and necessitate deep exploration and understanding of their functions and mechanisms. While many researchers have investigated and detailed the physiology of nematodes, mainly C. elegans, how physiology is altered depending on the worm’s community, whether it be an animal host, plant, or soil, is largely understudied. The more we know about how nematode development is altered because of cross-species interactions and co-evolution with hosts, the more researchers are equipped to develop treatments for and control of parasitic nematodes. Imperatively, we need to understand how our model animals function in these ecological contexts to better inform our interpretations and conclusions of laboratory experiments. As organisms rarely act in isolation, it’s crucial to illuminate on how their physiology is affected by specific cross-phylum relationships, a can of worms that is bursting to be opened. In this Research Topic we welcome submissions related to the following sub-topics:
• Host-nematode interactions
• Developmental ecology
• Nematode microbiomes
• Invertebrate model systems
• Evolutionary development
• Environmental physiology
Keywords: Nematodes, Co-evolution, Physiology, Development, Host-nematode relationships
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.