Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Abstract

Nematodes are highly diverse and prevalent animals that inhabit multiple trophic levels and are interconnected with soil food webs. Plant parasitic nematodes in particular are prominent because they cause significant physical and economic damage to the agricultural industry. Therefore, a large proportion of the current published literature studies plant parasitic nematodes as pests, techniques for managing them, and the use of nematodes as bioindicators of soil conditions. These topics of study neglect the potentially important, and beneficial role nematodes may have on agricultural systems. This literature review seeks to answer if the presence of nematodes can positively affect plant growth in agricultural systems. The survey of existing published literature found that nematodes may benefit plant growth, however, the number of relevant studies is low and many of them have differences in experimental conditions and results. It is apparent that nematodes’ impact on plants is variable and depends on numerous factors including soil condition, farming practice, and plant species. Potential mechanisms of nematode contributions to plant growth include moving and increasing microbial communities, releasing nutrients into the soil, inducing increased abundance of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, and functioning as biocontrols of plant pathogens and parasites. Additional research is needed that builds on results of the found studies to further examine the mechanisms and significance of nematodes as drivers of plant growth and under what conditions the potential benefits are maximized.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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