Caenorhabditis Elegans - Ecology

Ecology

The different Caenorhabditis species occupy various nutrient- and bacteria-rich environments. They do not form self-sustaining populations in soil, as it lacks enough organic matter. C. elegans can survive on a diet of a variety of kinds of bacteria (not all bacteria, though), but its wild ecology is largely unknown. Most laboratory strains were found in human-made environments such as gardens and compost piles. Recently, however, C. elegans has been found to be abundant in rotting organic matter, particularly rotting fruit. Dauer larvae can be transported by invertebrates including millipedes, insects, isopods, and gastropods. When they reach a desirable location they then get off, and at least in the lab they will also feed on the host if it dies.

Nematodes are capable of surviving desiccation, and in C. elegans the mechanism for this capability has been demonstrated to be Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins.