Research News
From Avoidance to Attack
How do new behaviors evolve? In a new study, researchers from our 'Genetics of Behavior' group show how a nematode species evolved the ability to actively hunt prey by repurposing existing sensory systems. Using the predatory worm Pristionchus pacificus as a model, the team demonstrates how touch and chemical sensing were evolutionarily rewired to support predation.
The study identifies a key mechanosensory gene required for prey detection and reveals how multiple sensory cues converge in the same neurons to trigger attack behavior. Automated tracking and machine learning made it possible to distinguish subtle hunting states from non-predatory behavior.
Neurons in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus integrate mechanical (cyan) and chemical (magenta) cues to detect prey.