Nematode nemesis: hidden world of carnivorous fungi - The Hardwick Gazette

Nematode nemesis: hidden world of carnivorous fungi - The Hardwick Gazette

LOWELL, Mass. – In darkness, a wormlike creature squirms. A tiny nematode weaves its way between grains of rock and particles of organic matter, through inverted forests of tree roots. It follows what it thinks is a pheromone trail, pausing to inspect a droplet poised on the tip of a pale, nondescript strand of fungus.A moment later, its body begins to seize up. The chemical signals that control its muscles have been hijacked, and within seconds…