Ecology of nematophagous fungi:Panagrellus redivivus as the target organism

Summary

Nematophagous fungi have been isolated in recent ecological studies by the soil sprinkling technique, usingPanagrellus redivivus as bait. The isolation of nematophagous fungi during such studies may be selective due to specific host-parasite or predator-prey associations. This was examined by testing the suitability ofP. redivivus as the target nematode. Twelve endoparasitic and eighteen predatory nematophagous fungi were isolated using the indigenous soil nematodes, all of which were found to be able to parasitize or capture and consumeP. redivivus. The results indicate that both endoparasites and predators display a small degree of selectivity, and that any selection is most likely due to the anatomy of the host or prey and the mode of infection or capture of the fungus. Selection of hosts and prey by nematophagous fungi is briefly discussed.