Germ cells complete multiple events to form functional oocytes and sperm.
In the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite, germ cells develop in proximity to the somatic gonad sheath and spermathecal cells. We present evidence from cellular laser ablation studies indicating that cells of the somatic sheath and spermathecal lineages play critical roles in four events of hermaphrodite germline development. During wild-type ovulation, the mature oocyte is expelled from the gonad arm by contraction of the proximal myoepithelial sheath and dilation of the distal spermatheca. These somatic ablation-induced germline phenotypes demonstrate that the somatic gonad is required for multiple events in C. elegans germline development.