We propose to establish a complete linkage map in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). We intend to focus especially on those RFLPs generated by transposable elements (Tc1 and Tc2). The linkage map will then be used to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) specifying life span and other life history traits. Subsequent integration of the RFLP map with extant physical and genetic maps will allow simultaneous positioning of QTLs onto genetic maps, making possible the directed construction of stocks showing specific variations in life span and other life history traits, and will simplify the eventual molecular characterization of genes specifying these traits. Although such positioning has been a theoretical possibility for several years, four new developments make the project feasible and of considerable importance: (1) the construction of overlapping arrays of contiguous DNA sequences or "contigs" [Coulson et al. (1988) Nature, 335:184.]; (2) an effective mathematical algorithm for assigning QTLs to various physical regions (Lander and Botstein (1989) Genetics, 121:185] which has already been used to map QTLs in the tomato [Paterson et al. (1988) Nature, 335:721); (3) the development of recombinant inbred (RI) lines in the nematode C. elegans [Johnson (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 84:3777]; and (4) a procedure for resolving genomic restriction digests on 2-D gels that may allow the simultaneous scoring of hundreds of RFLPs [Uitterlinden et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 86:2742].