The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans uses pheromones as a primary means of communication. One pheromone is ascaroside #8 (ascr#8), which is secreted by hermaphrodites to attract males. Since pheromones can be effective in closely related species, I performed behavioral assays to investigate whether an attractive response to ascr#8 would be seen in the other two hermaphroditic species in the Caenorhabditis genus, C. tropicalis and C. briggsae. My data shows differences in the levels of attraction to ascr#8 among the three species, implying that the response is unique to C. elegans.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Lockery, Jane Axi

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042519-102941

Advisor

• Srinivasan, Jagan

Year

• 2019

Date created

• 2019-04-25

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright