OT: nematodes rule!

From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>

>From: Pat Bass <bpbass@gj.net>
>
>Thanks, Bill, for the information.  I didn't realize there was any difference.
>

There are likely a million or more species of nematodes on earth, only a
few of which have been named and described.  They are among the most
abundant and ubiquitous organisms. One nematologist wrote that if the whole
planet and everything on it, except nematodes, were to disappear, it would
still be possible to see a faint shadow of nearly every surface and every
plant and animal, outlined in nematodes.  Nematodes are one of the very few
permanent terrestrial residents of Antarctica, where individuals may wake
from their almost permanent state of suspended animation (cryptobiosis)
only every decade or so, making some individuals perhaps centuries old.
Parasitic nematodes infest every known species of vertebrate, and others
attack all plants.  Nematodes like hookworm, loaloa, and others parasitize
humans and cause major public health problems.  However, the majority of
species are free-living, feeding mostly on bacteria and protists.

Fungi are major predators of nematodes and may explain why beneficial
nematodes usually fail to persist after application.  One fungus grows in
loops, and when a nematode crawls through the loop, it closes.  The fungus
then grows into the nematode's body, slowly digesting it.  A single fungus
can thus trap thousands of nematodes.

Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode, is perhaps the best known and
understood multicelluar organism.  Its tiny body is made up of 845 cells.
Each cell is in exactly the same position and has exactly the same function
in every individual of the species.  Biologists have traced every single
cell from egg to adult, and so know in exact detail how C. elegans develops.

And so on.  Sorry, just feel like lecturing today--when there are no
students about.


Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>




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