Author

James W. Lightfoot

Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesarORCID 0000-0002-5835-2135Unclaimed ORCID profile · follow to get notified of new preprints

Activity by Year

2019-2026 · peak 4/yr

Co-Author Collaboration Network

10 top collaborators · 32 mutual co-author links

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3 shared papersAnimal Behavior & Cognition

Desiree L. GoettingORCID

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8 papers

Recent·Most cited

Evidence of a predator-prey co-evolutionary arms race within a nematode microhabitat

Desiree L. Goetting, Kamal Kaur Sarai, Penghieng Theam, Ralf J. Sommer, James W. Lightfoot

The paper investigates predator-prey interactions between Pristionchus pacificus and Oscheius myriophilus in their natural nematode microhabitat, finding evidence of co-evolutionary adaptations.

bioRxiv · Apr 4, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology

MEC-2/Stomatin is required for aversive behaviour but dispensable for prey detection in the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus

Marianne Roca, James W. Lightfoot

The paper shows that MEC-2 is needed for aversive touch response but not for prey detection in P. pacificus, highlighting functional divergence in mechanosensory pathways.

bioRxiv · Mar 11, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

Predatory aggression evolved through adaptations to noradrenergic circuits

Gueniz Goze Eren, Leonard Böger, Marianne Roca, Fumie Hiramatsu, Jun Liu, Luis Alvarez, Desiree L. Goetting, Lewis A. Cockram, Nurit Zorn, Ziduan Han, Misako Okumura, Monika Scholz, James W. Lightfoot

The paper identifies evolutionary adaptations in noradrenergic circuits that enable predatory aggression in Pristionchus pacificus using machine learning.

Nature · Jan 21, 2026Peer-reviewedAnimal Behavior & Cognition

Contact-based kin discrimination is associated with specific surface lipids in the cannibalistic nematode Pristionchus pacificus

Fumie Hiramatsu, Desiree L. Goetting, Anna M. Kotowska, Nurit Zorn, Veeren M. Chauhan, James W. Lightfoot

The paper shows surface lipid composition is essential for kin recognition in Pristionchus pacificus, with specific lipids involved in contact-based discrimination.

bioRxiv · Jan 13, 2026 · PreprintAnimal Behavior & Cognition

Identity and functions of monoaminergic neurons in the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus reveal nervous system conservation and divergence

Curtis M. Loer, Hyunsoo Yim, Luke T Geiger, Yasmin H. Ramadan, Megan F Hampton, Diana V Bernal, Heather R Carstensen, Jorge Morgan, Laura Rivard, Theresa Medina, Steven J. Cook, Misako Okumura, James W. Lightfoot, Oliver Hobert, Ray L. Hong

The paper characterizes monoaminergic neurons in Pristionchus pacificus, identifying conserved and novel patterns of neurotransmitter expression and function in behaviors like host-finding and dispersal.

bioRxiv · Oct 16, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Evolution of sensory systems underlies the emergence of predatory feeding behaviours in nematodes

Marianne Roca, Gueniz Goze Eren, Leonard Böger, Olena Didenko, Wen‐Sui Lo, Monika Scholz, James W. Lightfoot

The paper identifies sensory adaptations in Pristionchus pacificus that enable predatory feeding behaviors through mechanosensory and chemosensory system co-option.

bioRxiv · Mar 24, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Surface lipids influence developmental and species-specific chemical signalling in nematodes

Anna M. Kotowska, Fumie Hiramatsu, Morgan R. Alexander, David J. Scurr, James W. Lightfoot, Veeren M. Chauhan

The paper characterizes nematode surface lipids using 3D-OrbiSIMS, revealing their developmental changes, species-specificity, and role in predator-prey interactions.

bioRxiv · Apr 24, 2024 · PreprintSystems Biology

Conserved nuclear receptors controlling a novel trait target fast-evolving genes expressed in a single cell

Bogdan Sieriebriennikov, Shuai Sun, James W. Lightfoot, Hanh Witte, Eduardo Moreno, Christian Rödelsperger, Ralf J. Sommer

The paper identifies conserved nuclear receptors that regulate fast-evolving genes involved in morphological changes in nematodes.

bioRxiv · Oct 17, 2019 · PreprintDevelopmental Biology