Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) is proposed as a means of nematode community analysis and will be used to profile nematode communities from different habitats.

Nematodes were extracted from 5 habitats and DNA extractions performed using various techniques. Quality of the extract was assessed by quantification of PCR product. Tissue disruption, by bead beating, followed by purification through the Purelink PCR purification kit (Invitrogen, Paisley, UK) was selected as the optimal method.