Dataset Information

Development and staging of the water flea Daphnia magna (Straus, 1820; Cladocera, Daphniidae) based on morphological landmarks.

ABSTRACT: Crustaceans of the genus Daphnia are one of the oldest model organisms in ecotoxicology, ecology and evolutionary biology. The publication of the Daphnia pulex genome has facilitated the development of genetic tools to answer long-standing questions in these research fields (Science 331: 555-561, 2011). A particular focus is laid on understanding the genetic basis of the striking ability of daphnids to change their phenotype in response to environmental stressors. Furthermore, Daphnia have recently been developed into crustacean model organisms for EvoDevo research, contributing to the ongoing attempt to resolve arthropod phylogeny. These problems require the comparative analyses of gene expression and functional data, which in turn require a standardized developmental staging system for Daphnia.Here we provide a detailed staging system of the embryonic development of Daphnia magna based on morphological landmarks. The staging system does not rely on developmental hours and is therefore suitable for functional and ecological experiments, which often cause developmental delays in affected embryos and thus shifts in time reference points. We provide a detailed description of each stage and include schematic drawings of all stages showing relevant morphological landmarks in order to facilitate the application of this staging scheme.We present here a staging system for Daphnia magna, which is based on morphological landmarks. The staging system can be adopted for other daphnids with minor variations since the sequence of development is highly conserved during early stages and only minor heterochronic shifts occur in late embryonic stages.

SUBMITTER: Mittmann B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4108089 | biostudies-other | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Development and staging of the water flea Daphnia magna (Straus, 1820; Cladocera, Daphniidae) based on morphological landmarks.

Mittmann Beate B Ungerer Petra P Klann Marleen M Stollewerk Angelika A Wolff Carsten C

EvoDevo 20140318 1

<h4>Background</h4>Crustaceans of the genus Daphnia are one of the oldest model organisms in ecotoxicology, ecology and evolutionary biology. The publication of the Daphnia pulex genome has facilitated the development of genetic tools to answer long-standing questions in these research fields (Science 331: 555-561, 2011). A particular focus is laid on understanding the genetic basis of the striking ability of daphnids to change their phenotype in response to environmental stressors. Furthermore, ...[more]

PMID: 24641948

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Project description:Microarray analyses were used to evaluate patterns of gene transcription following exposure of the waterflea Daphnia magna to two natural and one anthropogenic stressor. cDNA microarrays compiled of three life stage specific and three stressor-specific EST libraries, yielding 1734 different EST sequences, were used. We exposed the water flea Daphnia magna to three stressors known to exert strong selection in natural populations of this species i.e. a sublethal concentration of the pesticide carbaryl, infective spores of the endoparasite Pasteuria ramosa, and fish predation risk mimicked by exposure to fish kairomones. A total of 148 gene fragments were differentially expressed compared to the control. Most gene fragments were downregulated under stress (82.4% downregulation compared to 17.6% upregulation) irrespective of the treatment. In approximately 5% of the cases up- or downregulation depended on stressor identity. Based on a PCA, we could identify two different groups within our exposure treatments: small and big gene expression differences compared to the control condition. The treatments parasite 96h exposure, carbaryl 144h of exposure and fish 144h of exposure are combined in the high stress group. 26 samples x 2 biological replicates were analysed in a carriage wheel design (Khanin & Wit, 2005; Knapen et al., 2009) with a reference sample composed of a clutch of non-exposed D. magna that were collected at different time points ranging from 0-24h until three weeks old. The 26 samples included: 4 treatments (control, carbaryl, fish and parasite exposure) x three time points (48h, 96h and 144h) x 2 replicates + 2 start samples (non-exposed individuals younger than 24h old). This led to 52 different microarray hybridizations: 26 hybridizations for the inner part of the wheel, where every sample is hybridized against the reference, and another 26 for the outer part. Color flip experiments were incorporated per sample to fulfill the conditions of technical replicates on the level of labelling; every stressor-time combination was included at least once in red and once in green. One hybridization in the outer part of the wheel had technical problems, and is not included here.

Dataset Information

Development and staging of the water flea Daphnia magna (Straus, 1820; Cladocera, Daphniidae) based on morphological landmarks.

Publications

Development and staging of the water flea Daphnia magna (Straus, 1820; Cladocera, Daphniidae) based on morphological landmarks.

Similar Datasets

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