Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a preeminent model
organism, but the natural ecology of this nematode
has been elusive. A four-year survey of French orchards
published in BMC Biology reveals thriving populations
of C. elegans (and Caenorhabditis briggsae) in rotting
fruit and plant stems. Rather than being simply a
‘soil nematode’, C. elegans appears to be a ‘plant-rot
nematode’. These studies signal a growing interest
in the integrated genomics and ecology of these
tractable animals.