Cross‐kingdom interactions involve dynamic processes that shape terrestrial ecosystems and represent striking examples of co‐evolution. The multifaceted relationships of entomopathogenic nematodes with their insect hosts and symbiotic bacteria are well‐studied cases of co‐evolution and pathogenicity. In contrast, microbial interactions in soil after the natural death of insects and other invertebrates are minimally understood....

Hermaphroditism has evolved several times independently in nematodes. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus are self‐fertile hermaphrodites with rare facultative males. Both species are members of different families: C. elegans belongs to the Rhabditidae and P. pacificus to the Diplogastridae. Also, both species differ in their ecology: C. elegans is a soil‐dwelling nematode that is often found i...