Gene up-regulation in response to predator kairomones in the water flea, Daphnia pulex.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Numerous cases of predator-induced polyphenisms, in which alternate phenotypes are produced in response to extrinsic stimuli, have been reported in aquatic taxa to date. The genus Daphnia (Branchiopoda, Cladocera) provides a model experimental system for the study of the developmental mechanisms and evolutionary processes associated with predator-induced polyphenisms. In D. pulex, juveniles form neckteeth in response to predatory kairomones released by Chaoborus larvae (Insecta, Diptera).

Results

Previous studies suggest that the timing of the sensitivity to kairomones in D. pulex can generally be divided into the embryonic and postembryonic developmental periods. We therefore examined which of the genes in the embryonic and first-instar juvenile stages exhibit di

SUBMITTER: Miyakawa H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2888767 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature