Nematode evolution shows late and convergent radiations of parasitism

Nematode evolution began with free-living ancestors, with the earliest shifts to parasitism occurring in the Late Devonian to Carboniferous periods. New genomic data and fossil evidence reveal that parasitic lifestyles in nematodes evolved multiple times and did not initially lead to faster diversification compared to free-living forms. Significant diversification of parasitic nematodes, particularly zooparasitic lineages, occurred around 90 million years ago, coinciding with the radiation of mammals and birds.