萼花臂尾轮虫反捕食形态可塑性研究-水生生物学专业论文.docxVIP

Abstract In many small planktonic rotifers, predator kairomones induce the development of longer spines, which can provide effective post-contact defense against the predators. This study is used the common herbivorous zooplankton Brachionus calyciflorus as the research subject, to investigate the kairomones of predators induced rotifers phenotypic plasticity reactions. We use the B. calyciflorus-Asplanchna brightwelli models to study the kairomones of predators induced rotifers defensive morphology development. We use two clones of B. calyciflorus (BJ-clone and LY-clone) to carry out the experiment, our study observed that the relationship between the density of predator Asplanchna (the concentration of kairomones) and the length or relative length of posterolateral spine of B. calyciflorus is a significant linear regression model. The length or relative length of the posterolateral spine increased with the increase in the concentration of predator Asplanchna kairomones, resulting in a linear dosage-response pattern of predator Asplanchna kairomones induction of defensive morphology in B. calyciflorus. Maternal effects on the predator induction of defensive morphology are regarded as an adaptive strategy. A mother can anticipate and transmit environmental conditions related to predation risk to offspring of the same generation or succeeding generations, to improve the ability of offspring to defense the ingestion of predators. In both B. calyciflorus clones the rotifers posterolateral spine development was significantly affected by the exposure time to Asplanchna and birth order. The length or relative length of the posterolateral spine decreased to comparatively low levels in the offspring with late birth order; however, spine development in these late-born offspring was also evident than those in the control groups. A step-wise weakened maternal effect as birth order progresses may possibly occur because of the dilution or decomposition of unknown factors