Beware glowing cadavers: bioluminescence of nematode symbiont Photorhabdus protects nematode-infected host cadavers from nocturnal scavengers
Photorhabdus spp.are the only known terrestrial bioluminescent bacteria.We show that the bioluminescence produced by these bacteria reduces scavenging activity on the insect cadavers they colonize.Photorhabdus spp.are the symbiont of the insect pathogenic nematodes Heterorhabditis spp.Together they kill insects and colonize the cadaver.The function