{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T13:47:16Z","timestamp":1792590436878,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,11]],"date-time":"2021-01-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1610323200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>As we learn more about the importance of gene-environment interactions and the effects of environmental enrichment, it becomes evident that minimalistic laboratory conditions can affect gene expression patterns and behaviors of model organisms. In the laboratory, <jats:italic>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/jats:italic> is generally cultured on two-dimensional, homogeneous agar plates abundantly covered with axenic bacteria culture as a food source. However, in the wild, this nematode thrives in rotting fruits and plant stems feeding on bacteria and small eukaryotes. This contrast in habitat complexity suggests that studying <jats:italic>C<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>elegans<\/jats:italic> in enriched laboratory conditions can deepen our understanding of its fundamental traits and behaviors. Here, we developed a protocol to create three-dimensional habitable scaffolds for trans-generational culture of <jats:italic>C<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>elegans<\/jats:italic> in the laboratory. Using decellularization and sterilization of fruit tissue, we created an axenic environment that can be navigated throughout and where the microbial environment can be strictly controlled. <jats:italic>C<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>elegans<\/jats:italic> were maintained over generations on this habitat, and showed a clear behavioral bias for the enriched environment. As an initial assessment of behavioral variations, we found that dauer populations in scaffolds exhibit high-frequency, complex nictation behavior including group towering and jumping behavior.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0245139","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,12]],"date-time":"2021-01-12T21:41:35Z","timestamp":1610487695000},"page":"e0245139","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":39,"title":["A three-dimensional habitat for C. elegans environmental 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