C. elegans exhibits a number of behaviors that influence its ability to find food. The act of foraging proceeds as an alteration of two behavioral states, roaming and dwelling. These states depend on sensory input, as mutations that affect cilia formation alter the time spent in one state or the other. Nose deflection is another characteristic foraging behavior. In this case, the rapid movement of the nose tip from side to side has been shown to require GABAergic RME neurons. Studies of C. elegans isolates also demonstrate a social aspect to foraging, which is due to natural variations in
npr-1, an NPY G-protein-coupled receptor family.