BMC Biology (Jun 2012)

The worm in the world and the world in the worm

  • Blaxter Mark,
  • Denver Dee R

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-10-57
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
p. 57

Abstract

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Abstract Caenorhabditis elegans is a preeminent model organism, but the natural ecology of this nematode has been elusive. A four-year survey of French orchards published in BMC Biology reveals thriving populations of C. elegans (and Caenorhabditis briggsae) in rotting fruit and plant stems. Rather than being simply a 'soil nematode', C. elegans appears to be a 'plant-rot nematode'. These studies signal a growing interest in the integrated genomics and ecology of these tractable animals. See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/59