Editing Nematomorpha (section)

== Community ecology ==
[[File:Habitus saitenwurm zarbach benecke.jpg|thumb|Mermithid worm (Phylum Nematoda), often confused with horsehair worms (Phylum Nematomorpha). Dark structures are eggs, not seen in horsehair worms. Germany 2021. ]]Owing to their use of [[orthoptera]]ns as hosts, nematomorphs can be significant factors in shaping community ecology. One study conducted in a Japanese [[riparian]] ecosystem showed that nematomorphs could cause orthopterans to become 20 times more likely to enter water than uninfected orthopterans; these orthopterans constituted up to 60% of the annual energy intake for the [[Kirikuchi char]]. The absence of nematomorphs from riparian communities can thus lead to char preying more heavily on other aquatic invertebrates, potentially causing more widespread physiological effects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sato|first1=Takuya|last2=Watanabe|first2=Katsutoshi|last3=Kanaiwa|first3=Minoru|last4=Niizuma|first4=Yasuaki|last5=Harada|first5=Yasushi|last6=Lafferty|first6=Kevin D.|date=2011|title=Nematomorph parasites drive energy flow through a riparian ecosystem|journal=Ecology|language=en|volume=92|issue=1|pages=201–207|doi=10.1890/09-1565.1|pmid=21560690|bibcode=2011Ecol...92..201S |issn=1939-9170|hdl=2433/139443|s2cid=20274754 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>