Chemotactic Responses of Male Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Cultures of C. elegans containing a high proportion of males were subjected to chemotactic tests by using the method of countercurrent separation. The responses of males and hermaphrodites were determined. Both types of worms preferred Na⁺ over 1/2 Ca⁺², Cl⁻ over NO₃⁻; they were attracted to NaCl, OH⁻, cyclic AMP, pyridine, CO₂, in borate buffer (pH 8.8); and avoided CO₂ in phosphate buffer (pH 6.0), D-tryptophan, and acid. It was thus concluded that male C. elegans have the same chemotactic responses that hermaphrodites of this species are known to have.

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