Abstract
This chapter discusses the utility of nematodes in experimental ecotoxicology, and specifically in the study of freshwaters. Drawing on reports in which nematodes were used as test organisms in single-species tests as well as studies investigating nematode communities in model ecosystems (i.e. microcosms), the suitability of nematode-based experimental approaches in prospective and retrospective risk assessments of chemicals in freshwater sediments is examined. Several examples are presented of the use of Caenorhabditis elegans as a test organism in single-species bioassays, in order to demonstrate the versatility of this nematode for ecotoxicological investigations.
