Behavioral Differences between Male and Hermaphrodite C. elegans

C. elegans are microscopic nematodes used extensively as a model organism due to their simplicity, allowing researchers to study basic molecular processes in biology. Most C. elegans are hermaphrodites, possessing two X chromosomes and the ability to reproduce asexually, but approximately 0.1% are males, arising due to a spontaneous loss of an X chromosome. In order to evaluate the behavioral sex differences in C. elegans, we expanded upon existing literature and compared spontaneous movement, sensitivity to mechanosensation, and sensitivity to chemosensation between males and hermaphrodites. In our paradigms, we found that males and hermaphrodites exhibit similar spontaneous movement as well as similar slow and sustained behaviors such as chemotaxis, but differ in quick-response to mechanical and chemosensory stimuli.