Adventures in Biocontrol

 

Adventures in Biocontrol
This cartoon was drawn by Robert Ewing (for Richard M. Sayre) and appeared in Plant Disease June 1980.

Explanation of the cartoon - The mother nematode (the pear-shaped figure) sends her 6 larvae to play in the roots. They encounter six different biocontrol agents:

A) Bacterial parasite (Pasteuria penetrans),which produces spores which attach to the nematode, penetrate the cuticle/epidermis, and then reproduces inside the nematode.
B) Amoeba (Theratromyxa weberi), which attaches to the nematode then engulfs and digests the nematode.
C) Tartigrade or 'water bear' (Hypsibius sp.), captures nematodes (and other soil organisms), pierce the cuticle and then suck out the contents of the nematode body.
D) Turbellarian (Adenoplea sp.), a predatory flatworm which captures nematodes, pierces the cuticle and then swallows the entire nematode.
E) Nematode trapping fungus (Arthrobotrys sp.), which produces a sticky network of mycelium (thread-like filaments) which ensnare nematodes, then absorbs nutrients from the nematode body.
F) Mononch (Mononchus sp.), a predatory nematode which feeds on many species of plant parasitic nematodes and other soil animals.