– Nematoda –

Contact person:     Dr. Karin Hohberg

Institution:             Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz

E–Mail:                   karin.hohberg(at)senckenberg.de

Internet:                  SMNG Sektion Nematoda

Nematodes (threadworms) are the richest group within the kingdom of multicellular organisms regarding number of species and individuals. They can be found in almost every terrestrial, limnic and marine biotope and subsist on plants, bacteria, fungi, fungal spores or are predatory on other animals and even nematodes.

Free living, non-parasitic nematodes are of vital importance for the functionality of soils. They vary in sensitivity to pollutants and ecological disturbances and are therefore well suited as ecological indicators for monitoring and evaluation of agricultural as well as natural areas.