Pristionchus pacificus

Ralf J. Sommer, Ph. D. (1992), LMU Munich, is Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and Adjunct Professor at Tübingen University. As a trained zoologist, his research aims to integrate various disciplines in evolutionary biology.

"This book is an impressive collection of facts and ideas neatly packed into quite condensed texts. It is a breath-taking demonstration of the power of modern biology. Some elements of the global ‘Pristionchus pacificus’ project are still in the reach for even modestly equipped laboratories. Thus, the ‘La Réunion case’ is a good example of how the study of intra-specific groups of nematodes can reveal a complicated history of colonisations and adaptation. Such books serve as special messengers for the scientific community, provoking thought for further research."Sergei E. Spiridonov (Center of Parasitology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Moscow) in: Russian Journal of Nematology."This monograph provides an excellent, thorough and up-to-date overview of research on the diplogastrid nematode Pristionchus pacificus. From small beginnings, work on Pristionchus has expanded by now to generate dozens of significant papers each year, in varied areas of biology. It is therefore very timely to review what has been achieved, and to lay out the stall for yet more research on P. pacificus".Jonathan Hodgkin in: Nematology, Volume 17, Issue 10 (2015).

• ContributorsForewordAcknowledgements1. Why Caenorhabditis elegans is great and Pristionchus pacificus might be betterPaul W. STERNBERG2. Integrative evolutionary biology and mechanistic approaches in comparative biologyRalf J. SOMMER3. Diplogastrid systematics and phylogenyNatsumi KANZAKI and Robin M. GIBLIN-DAVIS4. Taxonomy and natural history: the genus PristionchusErik J. RAGSDALE, Natsumi KANZAKI and Matthias HERRMANN5. The laboratory model: genetics, genetic mapping and transgenicsLaura AURILIO and Jagan SRINIVASAN 6. Comparative and functional genomicsChristian RÖDELSPERGER and Christoph DIETERICH7. Small molecule signalling: encoding biological information in chemical structuresFrank C. SCHROEDER8. Population genetics and the La Réunion case studyAngela MCGAUGHRAN and Katy MORGAN9. Evo-devo and developmental systems drift: an evolving paradigm in organ formation and tissue coordination, vulva and gonad development in Pristionchus pacificusDavid RUDEL10. Dauer formation and dauer-specific behaviours in Pristionchus pacificusAkira OGAWA and Federico BROWN11. Mouth dimorphism and the evolution of novelty and diversityErik J. RAGSDALE12. Pristionchus pacificus olfactionRay L. HONG13. Anatomy and connectivity in the pharyngeal nervous systemDan BUMBARGER and Metta RIEBESELL14. Bacterial interactions and the innate immune systemAmit SINHA and Robbie RAEGene indexSpecies indexGeneral index