Observed differences in life history characteristics of nematodes Aphelenchus and Acrobeloides upon exposure to copper and benzo(a)pyrene.

Maturity index values reflect life history characteristics often inferred by morphology. We tested the hypothesis that Acrobeloides and Aphelenchus are sensitive to chemical pollutants, opposite of what their colonizer-persister (CP) value of 2 suggests. Acrobeloides and Aphelenchus were reared at 19 degrees C and provided diets of Escherichia coli and Rhizoctonia solani, respectively.