Quantitative genetic analysis of life-history traits of Caenorhabditis elegans in stressful environments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Organisms live in environments that vary. For life-history traits that vary across environments, fitness will be maximised when the phenotype is appropriately matched to the environmental conditions. For the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we have investigated how two major life-history traits, (i) the development of environmentally resistant dauer larvae and (ii) reproduction, respond to environmental stress (high population density and low food availability), and how these traits vary between lines and the genetic basis of this variation.

Results

We found that lines of C. elegans vary in their phenotypic plasticity of dauer larva development, i.e. there is variation in the likelihood of developing into a dauer larva for the same environmental change

SUBMITTER: Harvey SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2267162 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature