Behavioural plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans navigating dynamic granular environments

Area of Science:

• Behavioral plasticity
• Animal locomotion
• Mechanosensation

Background:

• Mechanisms of behavioral plasticity in complex environments are not well understood.
• Assessing nematode behavior in dynamic, soil-like environments is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel platform, Peb2les, for studying nematode behavior in deformable terrains.
• To investigate the influence of environmental properties on nematode locomotion and behavior.
• To explore the role of mechanosensation in nematode interaction with complex environments.

Main Methods:

• Developed Peb2les, a quasi-2D granular arena.
• Utilized deep-learning-based tracking for nematodes and particles.
• Characterized coupled animal-environment dynamics.

Main Results:

• Nematode locomotion depends on particle density and surface properties, largely independent of mechanosensation.
• Touch sense is crucial for initial entry into rough arenas.
• Identified a novel touch-seeking behavior where nematodes return to the arena.
• Nematodes actively modify the granular terrain by rearranging particles.

Conclusions:

• Peb2les is a versatile platform for studying nematode behavioral plasticity and adaptability.
• Findings provide insights into the evolutionary origins of adaptive touch-seeking behaviors.
• Nematode interaction with soil-like environments involves complex feedback loops between locomotion and terrain modification.