What are the main characteristics of Nematoda?
Characteristics of Phylum Nematoda. Nematodes are characterized by their long tube-like appearance that lacks a visually distinct head or tail. In other words, they have a head and a tail, it’s just really hard to tell which end is which.
What is a parasitic nematode?
Parasitic nematodes are small round worms which live in the soil and feed on organic matter, insects, and plants. They are microscopic in size, and some are used by gardeners to destroy common garden pests without affecting the soil or health of the plants. Many different species are marketed…
What is nematode infection?
Parasites. Nematode infection can come from contaminated food or water or in some cases are soil-transmitted or vector-transmitted (Fig.
What do nematodes look like?
Nematodes are bilaterally symmetrical “pseudocoelomates” most often with elongate, cylindrical, unsegmented, wormlike bodies covered by a cuticle secreted by the underlying hypodermis. In specialized parasites the body may be spindle-shaped, pear-shaped, lemon-shaped, or other versions of saccate.
Where do nematodes live?
Nematodes live in the soil and other terrestrial habitats as well as in freshwater and marine environments; some live on the deep ocean floor, and others in hot water more than a mile underground. Many are damaging parasites of plants and animals, including humans.
What do nematodes eat?
THE LIVING SOIL: NEMATODES Bacterial-feeders consume bacteria. Fungal-feeders feed by puncturing the cell wall of fungi and sucking out the internal contents. Predatory nematodes eat all types of nematodes and protozoa. Omnivores eat a variety of organisms or may have a different diet at each life stage.