Nematodes are not only the most abundant animals occupying diverse ecological niches, they have also served as malleable model organisms utilized to address numerous biological questions. Roundworms play pivotal roles in sundry communities, and impact human lives both destructively as human and plant parasites, and beneficially as parasites of insect and fungal pests. Additionally, many free-living nematode species regulate bacterial populations in soil, are also subject to predation by worm-craving fungi, and compete with other worm species. Thus, ubiquitous nematodes maintain dynamic relationships with all types of organisms, from the micro- to the macroscopic.
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
Nematodes are not only the most abundant animals occupying diverse ecological niches, they have also served as malleable model organisms utilized to address numerous biological questions. Roundworms play pivotal roles in sundry communities, and impact human lives both destructively as human and plant parasites, and beneficially as parasites of insect and fungal pests. Additionally, many free-living nematode species regulate bacterial populations in soil, are also subject to predation by worm-craving fungi, and compete with other worm species. Thus, ubiquitous nematodes maintain dynamic relationships with all types of organisms, from the micro- to the macroscopic.
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