Chemotactic responses of male Caenorhabditis elegans.

Cultures of C. elegans containing a high proportion of males were subjected to chemotactic tests by using the method of countercurrent separation. The responses of males and hermaphrodites were determined. Both types of worms preferred Na over 1/2 Ca(2), Cl over NO; they were attracted to NaCl, OH, cyclic AMP, pyridine, CO, in borate buffer (pH 8.8); and avoided CO in phosphate buffer (pH 6.0), D-tryptophan, and acid. It was thus concluded that male C. elegans have the same chemotactic responses that hermaphrodites of this species are known to have.