James Lightfoot
Max Planck Group leader exploring the evolution of behaviour using comparative nematode species at the MPI for Neurobiology of Behavior in Bonn (jlightfootlab.org).
- How does evolution turn a harmless bacterial feeder into an active predator? Our new study led by @marianneroca.bsky.social and published in @pnas.org explores how sensory systems were rewired to enable prey detection and predatory behaviour in nematodes. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧵below!
- In our study we compared the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus to its close relative Caenorhabditis elegans. While C. elegans feeds on microbes, P. pacificus can actively hunt and kill other worms!
- To understand how this predatory feeding behaviour may have evolved, we examined genes involved in a key sensory modality that we predicted might be involved in detecting prey - mechanosensation.
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View full threadTogether, our results show how evolution can repurpose existing genes and sensory circuits for new purposes so systems that were once used for threat avoidance were rewired to support predation. This illustrates how complex behaviours emerge through evolutionary innovations. @mpinb.mpg.de
