Phenomenon of Swarming in Nematodes

McBride, J. M.; Hollis, J. P.

doi:10.1038/211545b0

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Many organisms respond to starvation by altering their patterns of locomotion [1]–[4]. The general properties of some locomotory patterns, such as an area-restricted search performed immediately after removal from food, are conserved across species [5]–[7], suggesting that such patterns might reflect optimal behavioral strategies [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directional Locomotion of C. elegans in the Absence of External Stimuli

2013

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Many organisms respond to food deprivation by altering their pattern of movement, often in ways that appear to facilitate dispersal. While the behavior of the nematode C. elegans in the presence of attractants has been characterized, long-range movement in the absence of external stimuli has not been examined in this animal. Here we investigate the movement pattern of individual C. elegans over times of ∼1 hour after removal from food, using two custom imaging set-ups that allow us to track animals on large agar surfaces of 22 cm×22 cm. We find that a sizeable fraction of the observed trajectories display directed motion over tens of minutes. Remarkably, this directional persistence is achieved despite a local orientation memory that decays on the scale of about one minute. Furthermore, we find that such trajectories cannot be accounted for by simple random, isotropic models of animal locomotion. This directional behavior requires sensory neurons, but appears to be independent of known sensory signal-transduction pathways. Our results suggest that long-range directional behavior of C. elegans may not be driven by sensory cues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directional Locomotion of C. elegans in the Absence of External Stimuli

2013

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“…1997), the mechanisms of this dual behavior are poorly understood. Studies of aggregation in social amoebae and Caenorhabditis elegans indicate that solitary or social behaviors are favored in different food environments (Andrew & Nicholas 1976; De Bono & Bargmann 1998; Hollis 1962; McBride & Hollis 1966). We hypothesized that cooperation between flies may guide their food search behavior.…”

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confidence: 99%

Cooperation between Drosophila flies in searching behavior

Tinette¹,

Zhang²,

Robichon³

2004

Genes Brain and Behavior

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In Drosophila melanogaster food search behaviour, groups of flies swarm around and aggregate on patches of food. We wondered whether flies explore their environment in a cooperative way as interactions between individual flies within a population might influence the flies' ability to locate food sources. We have shown that the food search behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila is a two-step process. Firstly, 'primer' flies search the environment and randomly land on different food patches. Secondly, the remaining group of flies move to the most favorable food source and aggregate there. We call this a 'search-aggregation' cycle. Our data demonstrate that flies do not individually assess all available food resources. Rather, social interactions between flies appear to affect their choice of a specific food patch. A genetic analysis of this 'search-aggregation' behavior shows that flies carrying mutations in specific genes (for example, the dunce (dnc) gene which codes for a phosphodiesterase) were defective in this searchaggregation behavior when compared to normal flies. Future investigations of the neuronal signaling involved in this behavior will help us to understand the complexities of this aspect of Drosophila social behaviour.

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“…3). Swarming behavior occurs in some bacteriophagous, mycophagous and plant parasitic nematodes (Croll, 1970;McBride and Hollis, 1966), but the role and the mechanisms of swarming are not well understood. Wharton (2004) suggested that clumps formed following swarming may aid in desiccation survival of these nematodes but swarming itself is not triggered by desiccation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A simple method to collect phoretically active dauer larvae of Caenorhabditis japonica

Tanaka¹,

Okumura²,

Yoshiga³

2010

Japanese Journal of Nematology

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Caenorhabditis japonica is a bacterial-feeding nematode phoretically associated with the shield bug, Parastrachia japonensis. Caenorhabditis japonica dauer larvae (DLs) are mainly found on adult female bugs throughout the year, suggesting an intimate association between the nematode and the shield bug, but the mechanisms of the female bug-specific association, as well as the life history of C. japonica, are not well known. To understand the biology of C. japonica and the behavior of DLs, we developed a simple method to selectively collect phoretically active DLs using swarming behavior. We also demonstrated that the DLs obtained by this method were able to associate with the shield bug. Nematol. Res. 40 (1), 7-12 (2010).

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Phenomenon of Swarming in Nematodes

Cited by 17 publications

References 3 publications

Directional Locomotion of C. elegans in the Absence of External Stimuli

Directional Locomotion of C. elegans in the Absence of External Stimuli

Cooperation between Drosophila flies in searching behavior

A simple method to collect phoretically active dauer larvae of Caenorhabditis japonica

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