They can be so vibrant and beautiful and provide us so much information about the mysteries of life.
P. pacificus can be found all over the world, such as North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Because they feed on bacteria and other nematodes, they can often be found in the soil. They also are known to use scarab beetles as hosts. Therefore, they are most likely found in warmer, humid climates. The Sommer Lab has a field station on La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. On this island, there is a lot of diversity in P. pacificus and beetles, which can help answer many interesting questions about population genetics and evolutionary ecology.
P. pacificus and beetles have a “necromenic” relationship, which means that the worm waits until the beetle dies and then eats the bacteria and other nematodes that arise from the dead beetle. The beetle host can also transport them to new locations to help find new food sources or habitats.
Predatory nematodes, mites, and other microscopic organisms like tardigrades and rotifers can harm P. pacificus. Certain fungi are also known to prey on P. pacificus and other nematodes. Yen-Ping Hsueh, a new director at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen, studies this relationship between worms and fungi! Despite these predators, we are not worried about it because of how quickly P. pacificus can reproduce.
