From A to Z - Nematodes Colour Our Lives! - Colouring book and stories about nematodes

Aug 29, 2026

Nematodes Colour Our Lives! is a colouring book that introduces readers to the diverse world of nematodes “from A to Z.” It explains where these roundworms, pinworms, threadworms and eelworms can be found—from sand and gardens to the deep sea and even space—highlighting both the harm they can cause and the usefulness of certain species. Short stories add engaging examples, such as Caenorhabditis elegans used to study muscle weakness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages57

Reading Time22 min

AccessFree to download

Astronaut

Beach

Compost

Deepsea

From A to Z, Idea, Editing, Design: Inge Dehennin, Roland Perry, Dora Scott, Nic Smol Illustrations: Daniel Apolônio Silva de Oliveira, Bart Braeckman, Alcides Sánchez-Monge Editing Illustrations: Inge Dehennin, Xue Qing Text: Yao Kolombia Adjiguita, Daniel Apolônio Silva de Oliveira, Wim Bert, Bart Braeckman, Wilfrida Decraemer, Eduardo de la Peña, Godelieve Gheysen, Toon Janssen, Tina Kyndt, Lidia Lins, Lisa Mevenkamp, Tom Moens, Dieter Slos, Nic Smol, Hanne Steel, Nicole Viaene and Wim Wesemael Published by: Nematology Coordination Office-Ghent University (2024) nematodes colour our lives! Colouring book and stories about nematodes From A to Z, nematodes colour our lives! Roundworms, pinworms, threadworms, eelworms, nematodes: who has heard of them? Even though few people know about them, they are everywhere and there are many of them: between the sand under your feet when walking on the beach, in the potatoes in your garden, in the deep dark sea and even in space! Nematodes can be microscopically small or they can be giants of meters long. They are mostly known because of the damage they cause to crops and they are also pathogens of animals, including humans. Nevertheless, some species of nematodes are very useful in biological control, for measuring soil and water quality and understanding the aging process. This colouring book, made by nematologists, introduces you to the diverse world of nematodes and shows you from A to Z why scientists find these little animals fun and interesting! Astronaut When astronauts stay in space for a long time, their muscles get weak, and this can cause injuries during their missions. The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is so convenient for science that scientists decided to take these little animals into space tobe used as a model to learn more about muscle weakness. The worms even survived the tragic accident of the Space shuttle Colombia in February 2003 . They were found alive in the crashed aluminium tubes in the Texan desert. Descendants of these worms were sent into space again in 2011 . This time the experiments related to muscle weakness had a successful conclusion. Beach Do you find this sandy beach looking rather empty and even lifeless? Well, appearances can be deceiving! Underneath your bath towel, little roundworms wriggle in the sand. Next time, when you build a sand castle digging out a square of 5 by 5 meter, know that you probably disturbed about 50 million nematodes. Not just one species, but perhaps even 50 different species! These worms feed on microscopically small algae, bacteria, and on each other. Yes, spectacular scenes occur underneath your bath towel, perhaps even as spectacular as those on the African savannah with lions, gazelles and zebras… Only just a tiny bit smaller. Compost Compost is full of life! Bacteria, fungi, springtails, mites, millipedes, centipedes and roundworms work together to decompose the waste and store valuable nutrients. Some of these organisms are so small that you cannot see them with the naked eye. You will have to use a magnifying lens or a microscope. Keeping a compost bin in your garden is useful because you can turn your vegetable, fruit and garden waste into valuable compost. When you add this compost to the soil, your plants grow much better. It is a great way to recycle, isn’t it? Deepsea At the bottom of the sea there is not a single ray of light, leading people to think for a long time that there was no life tobe found. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Luminescent jellyfish, fish with big teeth, little crabs, starfish and many other animals swarm in the abyss of the ocean. Also, nematodes love it there. With their specialised sense organ, the amphid, they can survive in the dark without eyes. They use it to detect food, friends and enemies. You see, there are many interesting things to discover in the deepsea!

FAQs

Where can nematodes be found, according to the book?

Nematodes are presented as living in places ranging from sand under your feet and potatoes in gardens to the deep sea and even outer space.

How do nematodes help science and research?

The book describes how Caenorhabditis elegans was taken into space to be used as a model for studying muscle weakness.

What role do nematodes play in compost?

In compost, bacteria and fungi work with springtails, mites, and other organisms, while roundworms participate in decomposing waste and helping store valuable nutrients.

Aug 29, 2026

Upload by Ethan Miller