Pristionchus | |
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Pristionchus pacificus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Nematoda |
Class: | Chromadorea |
Order: | Rhabditida |
Family: | Diplogasteridae |
Genus: | Pristionchus Kreis 1932 [1] |
Pristionchus is a genus of nematodes (roundworms) in the family Diplogastridae that currently includes more than 50 described species. They are known mainly as non-parasitic associates of insects, especially beetles, while others have been reported from soil, organic matter, or rotting wood. The genus includes P. pacificus , a satellite model organism to the well-studied nematode Caenorhabditis elegans .
In Pristionchus species associated with insects, the nematodes usually live on their hosts in a dormant stage (the dauer larva). After the death of the host insect, the nematodes resume development, feeding and reproducing on the decaying host carcass. [2] Most species of Pristionchus show a polyphenism in their feeding structures, which allows the nematodes to access different food resources in this rapidly changing environment. In one form (the "stenostomatous" form), the mouth is elongated, narrow, and equipped with one small tooth, whereas in the other ("eurystomatous" form) it is short, wide, and with two large teeth. [3] The emergence of a particular form depends on specific environmental conditions and the availability of food. Whereas the stenostomatous form feeds primarily on microorganisms, the eurystomatous form can feed additionally on other nematodes. [4] In the laboratory, Pristionchus species can be cultured on bacteria such as Escherichia coli .
Most known species of Pristionchus have males and females, although several species are androdioecious, consisting of males and self-fertilizing hermaphrodites. Sex determination in Pristionchus species is by an X0 system, whereby males have one sex (X) chromosome and females/hermaphrodites have two.
The following are all Pristionchus species that have been sequenced (most of them are kept in culture and available as frozen strains):
Ficus citrifolia, also known as the shortleaf fig, giant bearded fig, Jagüey, wild banyantree and Wimba tree, is a species of banyan native to southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America south to Paraguay. It is distinguished from the closely related Florida strangler fig mainly by the finer veining in the leaves.
Caenorhabditis is a genus of nematodes which live in bacteria-rich environments like compost piles, decaying dead animals and rotting fruit. The name comes from Greek: caeno- ; rhabditis = rod-like.
Androdioecy is a reproductive system characterized by the coexistence of males and hermaphrodites. Androdioecy is rare in comparison with the other major reproductive systems: dioecy, gynodioecy and hermaphroditism. In animals, androdioecy has been considered a stepping stone in the transition from dioecy to hermaphroditism, and vice versa.
Diplogasterida was an order of nematodes. It was sometimes placed in a monotypic subclass Diplogasteria, but molecular phylogenetic evidence has shown it to be embedded in the family Rhabditidae. The confusion of having a hierarchical nesting of groups that were formerly mutually exclusive has led to a profusion of names. Although completely revised taxonomy of nematodes that builds on recent classification systems as well as recent phylogenetic evidence is still necessary, most contemporary taxonomic studies now treat all groups listed under "Diplogasterina" below as a single family, Diplogastridae.
The nematodes, roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but there are many that are parasitic. The parasitic worms (helminths) are the cause of soil-transmitted helminthiases.
Bursaphelenchus is a genus of nematodes (roundworms) in the order Aphelenchida. Most are obligate mycophages, but some feed on wood, with two species, the red ring nematode and the pine wood nematode, economically significant as pests of coconut palms and of pine trees, respectively. Given that Bursaphelenchus species are usually hard to distinguish from one another except by trained nematologists with access to microscopes or DNA sequence analysis, the entire genus is put under quarantine in some countries. Where this is not the case however, these nematodes are becoming established as model organisms for nematode developmental biology, ecology and genetics.
Nematoida is a clade of pseudocoelomate free living or parasitic animals. It consists of phyla Nematoda and Nematomorpha. Their closest relatives are the panarthropods, such as the tardigrades and velvet worms.
Ralf Josef Sommer is a German biologist specializing in evolutionary developmental biology.
Micoletzkya is a genus of predatory bark-beetle-associated nematodes in the family Diplogastridae. The genus was named for the Austrian nematologist Heinrich Micoletzky. As of 2013 it consists of 25 described species.
Diplogastridae, formerly Diplogasteridae, are a family of nematodes (roundworms) known from a wide range of habitats, often in commensal or parasitic associations with insects.
Pristionchus pacificus is a species of free-living nematodes (roundworms) in the family Diplogastridae. The species has been established as a satellite model organism to Caenorhabditis elegans, with which it shared a common ancestor 200–300 million years ago. The genome of P. pacificus has been fully sequenced, which in combination with other tools for genetic analysis make this species a tractable model in the laboratory, especially for studies of developmental biology.
Pristionchus maxplancki is a species of diplogastrid nematodes (roundworms).
Paratrichodorus is a genus of terrestrial root feeding (stubby-root) nematodes in the Trichodoridae family (trichorids), being one of five genera. They are economically important plant parasites and virus vectors. The females are didelphic, and are distributed worldwide.
Sudhausia is a genus of nematodes (roundworms) of the family Diplogastridae. They live in association with dung beetles and are primarily known from Africa. Species of Sudhausia show a suite of biological features that, together, are unusual for nematodes and animals in general: hermaphrodites, which are females in form, mature to produce offspring before they are adults and thus even capable of mating, and their eggs grow in size during development. Hermaphrodites are also always live-bearing, which is unusual for nematodes under non-stressful conditions. The genus is named in honor of Walter Sudhaus, a German nematologist.
Levipalatum texanum is a free-living nematode (roundworm) in the family Diplogastridae. The species is androdioecious, consisting of self-fertile hermaphrodites which are morphologically females, and males. It is known from the south-eastern United States and has been found to live in association with scarab beetles, although it has also been baited from soil. Nematodes of this species can be cultured on bacterium Escherichia coli in the laboratory, and they are presumed to also feed on microorganisms in the wild. Levipalatum is a monotypic genus.
Pristionchus borbonicus is a species of free-living nematodes (roundworms) in the family Diplogastridae. The species was described from Réunion Island, and is notable for developing one of five different mouth forms depending on available food sources. Pristionchus borbonicus and related species have symbiotic relationships with fig plants and their pollinator wasps.
Myolaimidae is a family of nematodes in the order Rhabditida. It consists of two genera, Myolaimus and Deleyia.
Allodiplogaster sudhausi is a free-living nematode species in the Diplogastridae family. It was described in 2008 as Koerneria sudhausi, before being moved to the genus Allodiplogaster in 2014. A. sudhausi is omnivorous. It predates on other nematodes, but can be cultured on Escherichia coli OP50 bacterium on agar.
Allodiplogaster is a genus of nematodes (roundworms) in the family Diplogastridae that currently includes about 35 described species.
Steinernema hermaphroditum is a species of nematodes in the Steinernematidae family.