Common Laboratory Roundworm

Caenorhabditis elegans

Explore the Common Laboratory Roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Common Laboratory Roundworm is a tiny free-living nematode that occurs in soils and rotting plant material worldwide. It feeds chiefly on microbes and has a transparent body and rapid life cycle, traits that have made it an important organism for biological research. In nature, it participates in decomposition-related soil food webs.

Classification in this archive

Animals › Roundworms › Chromadorean roundworms › Rhabditida › Rhabditidae › Caenorhabditis

Habitat and distribution

Regions in this record: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America

Demonstration note

[DEMO] This tiny roundworm was the first multicellular animal to have its complete genome sequenced.