| Summary: | The bacterivorous nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> is an important model species for understanding genetic variation of complex traits. So far, most studies involve axenic laboratory settings using <i>Escherichia coli</i> as the sole bacterial species. Over the past decade, however, investigations into the genetic variation of responses to pathogenic microbiota have increasingly received attention. Quantitative genetic analyses have revealed detailed insight into loci, genetic variants, and pathways in <i>C. elegans</i> underlying interactions with bacteria, microsporidia, and viruses. As various quantitative genetic platforms and resources like <i>C. elegans</i> Natural Diversity Resource (CeNDR) and Worm Quantitative Trait Loci (WormQTL) have been developed, we anticipate that expanding <i>C. elegans</i> research along the lines of genetic variation will be a treasure trove for opening up new insights into genetic pathways and gene functionality of microbiota interactions.
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