why take a nematology course

What is the study of nematodes called?

Nematology. Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. Although nematological investigation dates back to the days of Aristotle or even earlier, nematology as an independent discipline has its recognizable beginnings in the mid to late 19th century.

What is nematology and why is it important?

Essentially, nematology is the scientific study of nematodes (roundworms), the phylum Nematoda. These are small worms that range between 1mm and 40 cm depending on type and habitat.

What are nematodes used for?

Some nematodes have been shown to be beneficial and therefore used in various industries (e.g. agriculture). * In nematology, nematologists focus on such aspects as taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny, as well as biology in their respective environments.

What are the sub-disciplines of nematology?

As a discipline, nematology is further divided into several sub-disciplines including animal nematology (largely focused on parasitology), free-living nematology, plant nematology, and entomopathogenic nematology. Therefore, students have an opportunity to specialize in any of the sub-disciplines of interest to them.

What is introductory Nematology?

The introduction covers the definition of nematodes, history of nematology, the yield loss caused by nematodes, some important animal parasitic nematodes, and beneficial nematodes including nematodes used in insect control, weed control, and biological monitoring systems.

What is the study of nematodes called?

Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms.

What do you mean by nematology?

Definition of nematology : a branch of zoology that deals with nematodes.

What is the economic importance of nematode?

Importance of Nematodes in Agricultural Systems. Nematodes contribute to a variety of functions within the soil system. In agricultural systems, nematodes can enhance nutrient mineralization and act as biological control agents.

Why are nematodes structurally diverse?

The structural diversity of nonparasitic nematodes reflects the variety of ecologic niches they occupy. Many feed on bacteria, and thus help soils retain the minerals and organic materials that might otherwise be lost, and even regulate the rate of nutrient cycling.

What are nematodes in a department?

Nematologists are rarely found in a “Department of Nematology,” but are found throughout various disciplines depending on the nature of the organisms they study. PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES. Plant-parasitic nematodes occur wherever plants grow. These nematodes are referred to as plant-pathogenic when they cause crop losses by direct injury to roots, ...

What is a plant pathogenic nematode?

Plant-pathogenic nematodes are the subjects of studies to determine control methods. Protocol for identifying plant resistance to plant parasitic nematodes: Download File (PDF) Nematodes can sap energy, cause serious diseases, and even kill humans and animals. Sheep, dogs, and cats are especially vulnerable.

What diseases do nematodes cause?

Those that do, however, can be devastating. In many places, people still suffer from diseases such as elephantiasis, river blindness, and hookworm, caused by nematodes. In most places, the effect on humans is indirect.

Where do nematodes live?

They occur literally everywhere – in soil and decaying matter from the poles to the tropics, in all forms of plant life, in the bodies of almost all animals, including humans, and in insects.

Do nematodes have a direct effect on humans?

Nematodes are essential elements of ecosystems, but most have no direct effect on humans.

What is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms?

Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. Although nematological investigation dates back to the days of Aristotle or even earlier, nematology as an independent discipline has its recognizable beginnings in the mid to late 19th century.

Who published the first paper on nematology?

Although many workers have played important roles in development of plant nematology, none have had a greater impact, particularly in the United States, than N.A. Cobb. In 1913 Cobb published his first paper on nematology in the United States.

What did nematodes do in the 1800s?

Nematologists in the 1800s also contributed to other scientific fields in important ways. Butschli (1875) first observed the formation of polar bodies by nuclear subdivision in a nematode, Beneden (1883) was studying Ascaris megalocephala when he discovered the separation of halves of each of the chromosomes from the two parents and the mechanism of Mendelian heredity, and Boveri (1893) showed evidence for continuity of the germ plasm and that the soma may be regarded as a by-product without influence upon heredity.

Where are nematodes found in the Bible?

The earliest written account of a nematode "sighting," as it were, may be found in the Pentateuch of the Old Testament in the Bible, in the Fourth Book of Moses called Numbers: "And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died". Although no empirical data exist to test the hypothesis, many nematologists assume and circumstantial evidence suggests the "fiery serpents" to be the Guinea worm, Dracunculus medinensis, as this nematode is known to inhabit the region near the Red Sea.

What is the earliest allusion to a plant parasitic nematode?

The earliest allusion to a plant parasitic nematode is, however, preserved in famous writ. "Sowed cockle, reap'd no corn," a line by William Shakespeare penned in 1594 in Love's Labour's Lost, Act IV, Scene 3, most certainly has reference to blighted wheat caused by the plant parasite, Anguina tritici.

Where is the Nematode Collection located?

National Collection of Nematodes (NCN) housed at the ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute (ARC-PPRI) in South Africa contain 7,209 type specimens.

Where did the Golden Nematode come from?

First, the discovery of the golden nematode in the potato fields of Long Island led to a trip by U.S. quarantine officials to the potato fields of Europe, where the devastating effects of this parasite had been known for many years. This excursion allayed all skepticism about the seriousness of this agricultural pest.

What is the history of nematodes?

The history of nematicides is fairly short but rich in lore from serendipitous discoveries to systematic high-throughput industrial screening; from scientific triumphs to technological disasters. The discovery of Heterodera schachtii in 1859 by botani st Hermann Schacht was one of the earliest reports of a plant parasitic nematode and the first of major agricultural and economic significance. Nearly half a century earlier, after Napoleon Bonaparte banned British ships from entering ports on the European continent, the British Empire imposed a sea blockade on his ships from the West Indies. The lack of cane sugar on the European continent accelerated the adoption of the new sugar beet crop that had been developed by German scientists at the end of the eighteenth century. The beets grew well in fertile soils in central Europe and traditional wide rotation schemes were abandoned in favor of more profitable narrow rotations or monoculture. But by the middle of the nineteenth century the consequences of such poor agronomic stewardship became obvious, particularly in declining sugar beet production fields in the Prussian Province of Saxony where sugar beet cyst nematodes had built up to economically damaging populations.

Who is the father of nematodes?

Nathan A. Cobb, often considered the father of nematology in North America, was a student of the renowned German zoologist Ernst Haeckel. After just a few years of research spanning the globe from Europe, Australia, and North America, Cobb amassed a huge amount of knowledge and came to have a deep appreciation for the immense number of species that existed. With scientific knowledge based on keen observational skills, he understood the nature of both the great numerical density and species diversity of nematodes in all habitats of the globe that he examined. Thus armed, he wrote the following:

How many hours is a nematology lab?

Laboratory, three to twelve hours . Prerequisite (s): upper-division standing. Research in nematology with the guidance of a Nematology faculty member. A written report is required. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit. Course is repeatable.

What are the topics covered in nematodes?

Topics include the morphology, physiology, development, genetics, behavior, and ecology of nematodes from parasitic and free-living habitats. In the discussion and demonstration section, students observe the comparative morphology and biology of nematodes and give oral presentations on selected nematode life histories.