PLANT SCIENCES
The Fascinating Plant Parasites — Nematodes
These translucent, multicellular worm-like organisms have both parasitic and free-living lifestyles
When we typically think of worms, we think of the squirmy creatures that burrow through mud. Earthworms help break up the soil and benefit plants — but there are other worms, smaller worms, that cause destruction for them.
These worms are nematodes. Nematodes are the members of phylum Nematoda of kingdom Animalia. Nematodes, also known as roundworms, invade both animals and plants. Plant feeding worms are called eelworms that are 1mm long and invisible to the naked eye.
They live as parasites and free-living creatures. A parasitic lifestyle enables them to feed off the host cellular nutrients for their energy, growth, and reproduction. Free-living worms vary from 0.1mm to 8cm in length, with the largest ones mostly feeding on other nematode species. Soil living nematodes have a vast host range from plant roots to soil microbial communities (fungi, bacteria, insect larvae). Roundworms have non-segmented (lacking jointed appendages), translucent and elongated bodies that consist of the reproductive, nervous, muscular, digestive, and excretory system. Missing, however, are a circulatory and respiratory system.
