Nematodes are among the most abundant animals on Earth. They occur as parasites in animals and plants or as free-living forms in soil, fresh water, marine environments, and even such unusual places as vinegar, beer malts, and water-filled cracks deep within Earth's crust.
Can nematodes be found everywhere?
Nematodes, otherwise known as roundworms and in the phylum Nematoda, are everywhere. It's been estimated that around 80% of multicellular animals globally are nematodes.
Do nematodes affect all plants?
There are numerous soil-inhabiting nematode species, but not all are harmful to plants. This information sheet deals only with plant-parasitic nematodes. Within this group, some nematodes spend their life within the plant roots. These are endoparasitic.
Should I be worried about nematodes?
Of those, only some are parasitic and damaging to crop plants. So, no, not all are harmful nematodes, and most are normal members of the soil ecosystem. In fact, many of the nematodes in your garden soil are beneficial to your garden. They eat some harmful species of bacteria, fungi, and even the larvae of insects.
Are nematodes visible with naked eye?
They're not visible to the naked eye; if you squint closely at a nematode on a microscope slide you might just confuse it with a speck of dust.
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