The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber likely interact opportunistically.

ABSTRACT: Phoresy is a behavior in which an organism, the phoront, travels from one location to another by 'hitching a ride' on the body of a host as it disperses. Some phoronts are generalists, taking advantage of any available host. Others are specialists and travel only when specific hosts are located using chemical cues to identify and move (chemotax) toward the preferred host. Free-living nematodes, like Caenorhabditis elegans, are often found in natural environments that contain terrestrial isopods and other invertebrates. Additionally, the C. elegans wild strain PB306 was isolated associated with the isopod Porcellio scaber. However, it is currently unclear if C. elegans is a phoront of terrestrial isopods, and if so, whether it is a specialist, generalist, or developmental stage-specific com

SUBMITTER: Archer H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319334 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature