Effects of mechanically different environments on the crawling waveform of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism in biological research. Thanks to the availability of well-established knowledge about its neural connectivity, a wide range of studies have been attempted to uncover the relationship between behaviors and the responsible neurons. In our research, the adaptive behavior of C. elegans in solid environments with different surface rigidities is investigated, where the worm adapts to different mechanical stiffnesses by modulating its crawling waveform. The amplitude and wavelength of the crawling waveform decrease as the environment becomes more rigid. Interestingly, the mechanosensation-defective mutant shows different responses to the surface rigidity compared to those of the wild-type worm. To explain the adaptation process in mechanically different environments, we suggest a plausible neural circuit model. © 2012 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engneers.