Electrostatics facilitate midair host attachment in parasitic jumping nematodes.

ABSTRACT: Jumping can be hazardous for entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) as those that fail to attach to an insect host face death by predation or starvation. Recently, it has been shown that electrostatic charges on large insects can prompt a close-range detachment of free-living nematodes, which are nonparasitic and unable to jump. However, it remains unclear if static electricity can influence aerial interactions between parasitic jumping worms and their insect hosts. Here, we analyze and model the trajectories of jumping EPNs in still air as they approach fruit flies with varying electrostatic charge. We find that the nematodes' attachment to the host is facilitated by an electrical potential of a few hundred volts, a magnitude commonly found in flying insects. A model combining electrostatics,

SUBMITTER: Ran R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12557510 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature