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Neurobiology

Social eating for stress

Nature volume 419, pages 893–894 (2002)Cite this article

One type of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans feeds alone, another in aggregates. The neurobiological underpinnings of these behaviours are now being revealed at the molecular level.

Behavioural ecologists have shown that many animals form social groups in response to stressful environmental conditions. Neurobiological evidence for this behaviour has now been discovered in the nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. On pages 899 and 925 of this issue, de Bono et al.1 and Coates and de Bono2 present striking results on the genetic, molecular and neural mechanisms underlying nematode social feeding. These discoveries provide tantalizing insights into the effects of stress in social groupings.

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Figure 1: Glow worms — social C. elegans displaying expression of green fluorescent protein.
Figure 2: The cyclic-GMP signalling pathway and variation in food-related behaviours.

C. RIEDL/TIM MARTIN, NATUREPL.COM/ANDREW HENLEY, NATURAL VISIONS/M. DE BONO

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, L5L 1C6, Ontario, Canada

    Marla B. Sokolowski

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  1. Marla B. Sokolowski
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Correspondence to Marla B. Sokolowski.

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Sokolowski, M. Social eating for stress. Nature 419, 893–894 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/419893a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/419893a

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