Nematodes are the most abundant animal group on Earth

There are roughly 57 billion nematodes (microscopic roundworms) for every human. They are the most abundant animal group on earth and around 80% of all animals are nematodes. These tiny worms are critical in carbon and nutrient cycling and influence CO2 emissions. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen study these organisms’ ability to adapt and change their body and physical form depending on their environment.
 

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen are interested in developmental plasticity, the ability of an organism (genotype) to produce different forms (phenotypes) in response to variation in the environment.

Nematode as a model system

The researchers study developmental plasticity using microscopic worms called nematodes. For instance, depending on their environment, these worms develop different mouth shapes among individuals with the same genetic background. These different mouth shapes result in different feeding strategies, including predation.

What are the researchers at Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen about?

They are interested in the “how” and “why” plasticity occurs by understanding the:

• Molecular mechanisms: They investigate how genes and molecules control the ability to choose a particular physical form.
• Evolutionary impact: They explore whether plasticity helps generate new traits that allow them to have more surviving offspring.
• Genetic screening: They identify genes that control physical transformations.
• Epigenetic screening: They manipulate the environment of nematodes, such as population density and diet, to study how epigenetic modifications (chemical changes that alter gene activity without altering DNA) influence gene expression.
• Origins of plasticity: They investigate how plasticity itself evolved.
• Predator-prey interactions: Biological interactions between interactions the nematode-trapping fungus (A. oligospora) and the oyster mushroom (P. ostreatus) with the model nematode (C. elegans).