Supplementary Material S3.xlsx

<i>C. elegans</i> populations were maintained on Normal Growth Media (NGM) circular plates (60 mm x 15 mm) seeded with 100 µL of OP50 <i>Escherichia coli</i>, cultured in B broth. We used square petri plates (100 mm x 100 mm) to design a variety of distributions of resource (<i>E. coli</i>)<i> </i>and toxicant (CuSO₄·5H₂O). Initially, three L4 worms were added at the center of each petri dish (between rows C and D, and columns 3 and 4). All the experimental plates were kept in a 20°C incubator for approximately 120 hours, the amount of time it takes for the majority of the worms to reach the size that are easily counted under the microscope (above L3 stage) before the food is depleted. After this time had passed, the experimental plates were moved into a refrigerator (4°C) for about 30 minutes to let the low temperature slow the movements of the worms, making them easier to count. The abundance of <i>C. elegans</i> (stage L3 and above) within each of the twelve sections were counted and recorded.