Temperature Effects on Thermotaxis of C.elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living transparent worm, about 1 mm in length, inhabiting temperate regions across the Earth. Widely utilized in research, this worm is an efficient model organism for investigating various biological phenomena. The animal's connectome has been completely resolved, with a total of 302 neurons, of which 68 being identified as sensory neurons capable of detecting chemicals, tactile stimuli, and temperature. Most studies involving these worms are experimental, rather than computational, particularly concerning temperature effects. This research builds upon an existing model by including temperature features in the differential equations representing the worm’s thermotaxis behavior. The equations allow for a methodology to predict the calcium response of C. elegans AFD neurons at varied temperatures by employing a dynamical mechanism and without requiring intricate physiological parameters. In addition, this work indicates that calcium responses in AFD neurons may be conceptualized as a biochemical process in which activation and inactivation are modulated by Arrhenius factors. Our results show good agreement with experimental data.