Nematodes are omnipresent.
They occupy almost every conceivable niche that is capable of supporting life, and are purported to be the most numerous animals in the world. I am interested in the interactions of nematodes with their host plants at the organismic, cellular, and molecular level. Currently my research is focused on the nematode surface coat, the outermost boundary between the nematode and its environment. Nematode survival is dependent upon exchange of materials across this boundary and through the body wall. The surface coat may also mediate host-parasite recognition systems, and is involved in the attachment of bacteria and fungi that parasitize nematodes.