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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374504
Research Project: New Tools for Managing Key Pests of Pecan and Peach

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: Dynamics of entomopathogenic nematode foraging and infectivity in microgravity

Author
item KAPLAN, FATMA - Pheronym, Inc
item SCHILLER, KARL - Pheronym, Inc
item Shapiro Ilan, David

Submitted to: Nature
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2020
Publication Date: 8/10/2020
Citation: Kaplan, F., Schiller, K.C., Shapiro Ilan, D.I. 2020. Dynamics of entomopathogenic nematode foraging and infectivity in microgravity. Nature. 6:20. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-020-00110-y.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-020-00110-y

Interpretive Summary: Microgravity is a unique environment to study host-parasite dynamics. Entomopathogenic nematodes (, are small round worms that serve as model parasites. The nematodes kill host insects with mutualistic bacteria and provide environmentally-friendly pest control. We investigated entomopathogenic nematode foraging and infection behavior under microgravity on the International Space Station. Our results revealed that entomopathogenic nematodes could successfully emerge from consumed insect host cadavers, move through soil, find and infect insects in a manner equivalent to Earth controls. Nematodes that developed entirely in space, from egg stage, died upon returning to Earth, which was dramatically different from controls in microgravity and on Earth. This first agricultural biocontrol experiment in space gives insight to future space travel for organisms with a symbiont, parasite biology and crop protection agents in space

Technical Abstract: Microgravity is a unique environment to elucidate host-parasite dynamics. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), model parasites, kill host insects with mutualistic bacteria and provide environmentally-friendly pest control. We investigated EPN foraging and infection behavior under microgravity on the International Space Station. Our results revealed that EPNs could successfully emerge from consumed insect host cadavers, move through soil, find and infect insects in a manner equivalent to Earth controls. Nematodes that developed entirely in space, from egg stage, died upon returning to Earth, which was dramatically different from controls in microgravity and on Earth. This first agricultural biocontrol experiment in space gives insight to future space travel for organisms with a symbiont, parasite biology and crop protection agents in space.