Step 1: Concept Overview:
{Caenorhabditis elegans}, a nematode (roundworm), serves as a vital model organism in developmental biology. Its eutely, or fixed number of somatic cells in adulthood, is a defining characteristic. This question seeks that specific number.
Step 2: Detailed Analysis:
The complete cell lineage of {C. elegans} is known, from zygote to adult.
- A hermaphrodite {C. elegans} generates 1090 somatic cells during development.
- Precisely 131 of these cells are eliminated by programmed cell death (apoptosis).
- This results in a constant number of somatic cells in the adult hermaphrodite.
- The final number is \(1090 - 131 = 959\) somatic cells.
While the adult male has 1031 cells, 959 is the commonly cited number for the hermaphrodite.
Step 3: Conclusion:
The adult hermaphrodite {C. elegans} contains precisely 959 somatic cells. Thus, option (C) is correct.