**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES CAUSE MAJOR LOSSES TO THE ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY OF U.S. AGRICULTURE. THE NEMATODE HETERODERA GLYCINES IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PATHOGEN OF SOYBEANS. PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES HAVE EVOLVED SPECIALIZED FEEDING STRUCTURES TO EXPLOIT THEIR PLANT HOSTS. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS CONTROLLING THE BEHAVIOR OF FEEDING IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. ADVANCES IN IMAGING AND COMPUTING POWER HAVE PROPELLED THE RISE OF CONNECTOMICS AS A BIOLOGICAL DISCIPLINE. CONNECTOMICS IS THE DISSECTION AND COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF NERVOUS SYSTEMS AND ALL OF THEIR CONNECTIONS TO CREATE PREDICTIONS OF BEHAVIORAL OUTPUTS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL RECONSTRUCT THE CONNECTOME OF THE H. GLYCINES ESOPHAGUS. WE WILL USE ADVANCES IN MICROSCOPY TO IMAGE ALL SYNAPSES WITHIN THE ESOPHAGUS. ALL RESULTING DATA, AS WELL AS ARCHIVED IMAGE DATA, WILL BE MADE PUBLICALLY AVAILABLE THROUGH AN ESTABLISHED WEBSITE DEDICATED TO NEMATODE ANATOMY. WE WILL USE ADVANCES IN NETWORK THEORY ANALYSIS TO CREATE TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS ON THE OPERATION OF THE ESOPHAGUS. FINALLY, WE WILL USE LASER ABLATION TO TEST OUR PREDICTIONS IN LIVING INFECTIVE H. GLYCINES. OUR PROJECT WILL CREATE THE FIRST CONNECTOME OF ANY AGRICULTURALLY-RELEVANT ANIMAL AND WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE FEEDING BEHAVIORS OF ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT PESTS. THESE DATA WILL BE USEFUL FOR DEVELOPING NOVEL CONTROL STRATEGIES. THE PROPOSED WORK ADDRESSES THE PRIORITY OF BEHAVIORAL ATTRIBUTES OF PESTS.