ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to draw together the diverse elements of the study of ageing in nematodes into a single account, encompassing evolutionary biology, parasitology, nematology, gerontology and genetics. It also aims to provide an account of the biology of ageing in the model species C. elegans for those working on other areas of nematode biology, and information about ageing in other nematode species for C. elegans specialists. The tendency for separation into subdisciplines that exists in the study of nematode ageing also extends to model species studies themselves, where research on C. elegans has focused predominantly on the genetic specification of life span, and work on C. briggsae and T. aceti on other aspects, such as age-related changes in biochemical function and ultrastructure.
