Caenorhabditis remanei is a species of nematode found in North America and Europe, and likely lives throughout the temperate world. Several strains have been developed in the laboratory.[1]
This 1-mm nematode lives in soil, compost, and similar materials, where it consumes bacteria. It may be found in association with soil-living invertebrates such as snails, slugs, and pill bugs.[1] It lives with the snail Fruticicola sieboldiana in Japan. It has been associated with the isopods Trachelipus rathkii, Armadillidium nasatum, Cylisticus convexus, and Porcellio scaber in Ohio.[2]
The genome of this nematode has been sequenced, and it was found to contain about 26,000 genes.[3]
This species groups with C. latens in the 'Elegans' supergroup in phylogenetic studies.
Unlike many other Caenorhabditis species, which are hermaphrodites,[1] C. remanei has both males and females. The male of this species employs a mating plug.[4] This species can hybridize with Caenorhabditis brenneri, but only when C. remanei males mate with C. brenneri females, and then the offspring are apparently sterile.[5]
When C. remanei individuals that were derived from recently isolated natural populations were inbred they showed dramatic reductions in brood size and relative fitness compared to outcrossed individuals.[6] Over time the decline in fitness accumulated and nearly 90% of inbred lines went extinct.