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Biochemical adaptation for dormancy in subitaneous and dormant eggs of Daphnia magna

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Abstract

Daphnia can reproduce through subitaneous and dormant eggs. The production of dormant eggs is induced by stimuli associated with deteriorating growth conditions, and enable Daphnia populations to survive temporarily harsh environmental conditions. Dormant eggs are expected to have developed special biochemical adaptations to bridge this long unfavourable period, but little comparative biochemical data are available for dormant and subitaneous eggs. We compared levels of the following molecules between subitaneous and dormant eggs: (a) triglycerides, which are the most abundant energy storage molecules in Daphnia, (b) glycerol, a cryoprotectant also involved in energy storage, and (c) the heat shock protein Hsp60, a molecular chaperone that may assist in maintaining protein structural integrity and inhibiting cell metabolism during diapause. Unexpectedly, no difference in triglycerides content between egg types was found. As expected, dormant eggs contained more glycerol and relatively more Hsp60 than subitaneous eggs. The biochemical composition of dormant eggs can therefore be seen as an adaptation to the harsh environmental conditions these eggs encounter.

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Acknowledgements

We thank three anonymous referees for their detailed and to-the-point comments of an early version of the manuscript, and Lisa Shama for the grammatical revision. Kevin Pauwels acknowledges financial support from IWT Flanders; Robby Stoks is a post-doctoral researcher with the Fund for Scientific Research (Flanders—FWO). This research was financially supported by FWO grant G.0269.04 and K.U.Leuven Research grant OT/04/23.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, K.U.Leuven, Ch. Deberiotstraat 32, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Kevin Pauwels, Robby Stoks, Anne Verbiest & Luc De Meester

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  1. Kevin Pauwels
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  2. Robby Stoks
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  3. Anne Verbiest
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  4. Luc De Meester
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Correspondence to Kevin Pauwels.

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Guest editor: Piet Spaak

Cladocera: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Cladocera

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Pauwels, K., Stoks, R., Verbiest, A. et al. Biochemical adaptation for dormancy in subitaneous and dormant eggs of Daphnia magna . Hydrobiologia 594, 91–96 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9091-4

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