Biology

Caenorhabditis elegans, or just simply C. elegans, are known as roundworms and nematodes. Their name is of Greek origin. C. elegans relatively have short life cycles. It takes about 3 days for them to grow and develop. They live for about two-three weeks. Their diet consists of bacteria, notably E. coli (Zhang et al. 2017).  These roundworms are land animals that live in soil in temperate areas throughout the world. Sometimes they can be found on decomposing flora. They can also be cultivated in petri dishes (Félix & Braendle, 2010). N2 is one of the most influential strain used in laboratories. This strain can impact the roundworms’ breeding, vulnerability to viruses, actions, and larval stages (Félix & Frézal, 2015).  Their bodies are shaped like small, long, narrow cylinders. They have 3 layers of skin which are epidermal, intestinal, and a muscle layer. Their transparent skin has no bumps. They do not have limbs or body parts like insects do. Most grow to be 1 millimeter long. Although C. elegans have males, which contributes to 0.20 percent of the population, they do not have females.  Instead, C. elegans have hermaphrodites, which means these organisms have both male and female reproductive parts. Thus, they self-fertilize themselves. They can produce hundreds of offspring. These roundworms are uncomplicated creatures and have independent lifestyles. Although their behavior is not complex, they can learn basic things. They have an extraordinarily strong sense of smell. Smell, taste, touch, and chemosensation are keys to their survival. C. elegans are used as human models in many research studies. Their biological components are remarkably similar to humans. They are quite easy to study due to their transparent bodies (Oswald, 2000).