CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS, MATERNAL EFFECTS AND THE HATCHING OF DAPHNIA DIAPAUSING EGGS
L. De Meester, C. Cousyn, J. Vanoverbeke
Abstract:
Hatching success of Daphnia sexual eggs in response to well-defined stimuli is notoriously variable. We carried out experiments testing the idea that chemical communication among eggs and maternal effects influence the probability of hatching of Daphnia diapausing eggs. Our results indicate that there is an important maternal effect, which may increase the variability in hatching success among replicates under experimental conditions. Our observations indicate that there is no bet-hedging effect at the level of the individual ephippium. No evidence for chemical communication among eggs influencing the probability of hatching was obtained.
(Laboratory of Ecology and Aquaculture, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium)