title: Mechanisms and evolution of environmental responses in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: We review mechanistic and evolutionary aspects of interactions between the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and its environment. In particular, we focus on environmental effects affecting developmental mechanisms. We describe natural and laboratory environments of C. elegans and provide an overview of the different environmental responses of this organism. We then show how two developmental processes respond to changes in the environment. First, we discuss the development of alternative juvenile stages, the dauer and non-dauer larva. This example illustrates how development responds to variation in the environment to generate complex phenotypic variation. Second, we discuss the development of the C. elegans vulva. This example illustrates how development responds to variation in the environment while generating an invariant final phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS-Universities of Paris 6/7, Tour 43 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Braendle
authors.forename: Josselin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milloz
authors.forename: Marie-Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Félix
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014844:Vulva / Q000254:growth & development