A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen has made significant strides in understanding the evolution of predatory behavior of nematodes, challenging established paradigms in evolutionary biology. Their study, published in Science Advances, demonstrates that long-term environmental exposure plays a crucial role in shaping behavior, with significant adaptations occurring over multiple generations in response to dietary changes.
Conducting experiments across 101 generations, the researchers observed nematodes exposed to the Novosphingobium bacteria, an alternative food source to E. coli. This resulted in an immediate and systemic shift to 100% predatory behavior across all test lines. This finding directly contrasts the conventional understanding of fixed predatory traits, highlighting the remarkable ability of these organisms to modify their behavior in response to environmental changes rapidly.
Multi-generational memory and microRNA involvement
This pioneering research explored the mechanisms of predation-related genetic memory through multi-generational studies, revealing that up to five generations of exposure were required to establish lasting behavioral shifts.
This study also uncovered the involvement of microRNAs, specifically the miR-35 family, in transgenerational inheritance linked to the EBAX-1 gene, marking a significant advance in our understanding of the genetic regulation of behavior.
“This research opens new avenues in the understanding of behavioral plasticity,” says Shiela Quiobe, doctoral researcher and first author of the study. “This discovery was completely unexpected, and now it’s exciting as we’re just scratching the surface in understanding the microRNAs’ mechanisms.”
Senior author Dr. Ralf Sommer, Director of the Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology, emphasizes their findings’ broader implications. “The long-term environmental induction experiment is a novel approach in the context of phenotypic plasticity to show that environmental responses can be important for longer evolutionary periods.”
He adds, “The fact that we see a phenomenon where you really need multi-generational exposure to induce such memory indicates that there might be more crosstalk between ecology and evolution.”
These findings challenge previous assumptions about predatory strategies in nematodes and underscore the importance of ecological context in evolutionary dynamics. They reveal a previously unrecognized interplay between environmental factors and evolutionary processes, with potential implications for our understanding of adaptation and survival strategies in changing ecosystems.
The research has follow-up studies planned to elucidate further the microRNAs’ molecular targets and the inducing agent of the bacteria involved in this adaptive behavior.
More information:
Shiela Pearl Quiobe et al, EBAX-1/ZSWIM8 destabilizes miRNAs, resulting in transgenerational inheritance of a predatory trait, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adu0875
Provided by
Max Planck Society
Citation:
Predatory behavior is an inherited trait across multiple generations in nematodes (2025, March 13)
