TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecology and evolution of soil nematode chemotaxis
AU - Rasmann, S.
AU - Ali, J.G.
AU - Helder, J.
AU - Van der Putten, W.H.
N1 - Reporting year: 2012
Metis note: 5268; WAG; TE
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Plants influence the behavior of and modify community
composition of soil-dwelling organisms through the
exudation of organic molecules. Given the chemical complexity
of the soil matrix, soil-dwelling organisms have
evolved the ability to detect and respond to these cues for
successful foraging. A key question is how specific these
responses are and how they may evolve. Here, we review
and discuss the ecology and evolution of chemotaxis of soil
nematodes. Soil nematodes are a group of diverse functional
and taxonomic types, which may reveal a variety of
responses. We predicted that nematodes of different feeding
guilds use host-specific cues for chemotaxis. However, the
examination of a comprehensive nematode phylogeny
revealed that distantly related nematodes, and nematodes
from different feeding guilds, can exploit the same signals
for positive orientation. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is
ubiquitous in soil and indicates biological activity, is widely
used as such a cue. The use of the same signals by a variety
of species and species groups suggests that parts of the
chemo-sensory machinery have remained highly conserved
during the radiation of nematodes. However, besides CO2,
many other chemical compounds, belonging to different
chemical classes, have been shown to induce chemotaxis
in nematodes. Plants surrounded by a complex nematode
community, including beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes,
plant-parasitic nematodes, as well as microbial
feeders, are thus under diffuse selection for producing specific
molecules in the rhizosphere that maximize their fitness.
However, it is largely unknown how selection may
operate and how belowground signaling may evolve. Given
the paucity of data for certain groups of nematodes, future
work is needed to better understand the evolutionary mechanisms
of communication between plant roots and soil biota.
AB - Plants influence the behavior of and modify community
composition of soil-dwelling organisms through the
exudation of organic molecules. Given the chemical complexity
of the soil matrix, soil-dwelling organisms have
evolved the ability to detect and respond to these cues for
successful foraging. A key question is how specific these
responses are and how they may evolve. Here, we review
and discuss the ecology and evolution of chemotaxis of soil
nematodes. Soil nematodes are a group of diverse functional
and taxonomic types, which may reveal a variety of
responses. We predicted that nematodes of different feeding
guilds use host-specific cues for chemotaxis. However, the
examination of a comprehensive nematode phylogeny
revealed that distantly related nematodes, and nematodes
from different feeding guilds, can exploit the same signals
for positive orientation. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is
ubiquitous in soil and indicates biological activity, is widely
used as such a cue. The use of the same signals by a variety
of species and species groups suggests that parts of the
chemo-sensory machinery have remained highly conserved
during the radiation of nematodes. However, besides CO2,
many other chemical compounds, belonging to different
chemical classes, have been shown to induce chemotaxis
in nematodes. Plants surrounded by a complex nematode
community, including beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes,
plant-parasitic nematodes, as well as microbial
feeders, are thus under diffuse selection for producing specific
molecules in the rhizosphere that maximize their fitness.
However, it is largely unknown how selection may
operate and how belowground signaling may evolve. Given
the paucity of data for certain groups of nematodes, future
work is needed to better understand the evolutionary mechanisms
of communication between plant roots and soil biota.
KW - international
U2 - 10.1007/s10886-012-0118-6
DO - 10.1007/s10886-012-0118-6
M3 - Article
SN - 0098-0331
VL - 38
SP - 615
EP - 628
JO - Journal of Chemical Ecology
JF - Journal of Chemical Ecology
IS - 6
ER -