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Bellin N, Rossi V. To sleep or not to sleep: Dormancy and life history traits in Eucypris virens (Crustacea, Ostracoda). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:345-356. [PMID: 38284622 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Dormancy represents an investment with its own costs and benefit. Besides the advantage obtained from the avoidance of harsh environments and from the synchronization of life cycles with seasonal changes, an organism could benefit from a temporary stop in growth and reproduction. To test this hypothesis a transgenerational experiment was carried out comparing the life history traits of clonal females of Eucypris virens from resting and non-resting eggs at two different photoperiods: short day length (6:18 L:D), proxy of favorable but unpredictable late winter-spring hydroperiod, and long day length (16:8 L:D) proxy of dry predictable unfavorable season, inducing resting egg production and within-generation plasticity (WGP). Clonal females that were dormancy deprived showed the highest age at first deposition and the lowest fecundity. Dormancy seems to work as a resetting mechanism of reproduction. Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) had a bounce back pattern: the phenotype of F1 generation was influenced by cues experienced in the F0 generation but the effects of F0 exposure were not evident in the F2. TGP might be adaptive when a mother experiences some kind of seasonality or stochasticity producing both resting and nonresting eggs. A positive relationship between the number of resting eggs and the total number of eggs per females suggested the absence of trade-off between dormancy and reproduction. Both WGP and TGP increase the mother long term fitness with important consequences on population dynamics, on the way a species spread throughout space and time and might respond to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Bellin
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parco Area delle Scienze, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Valeria Rossi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parco Area delle Scienze, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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2
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Hashimshony T, Levin L, Fröbius AC, Dahan N, Chalifa-Caspi V, Hamo R, Gabai-Almog O, Blais I, Assaraf YG, Lubzens E. A transcriptomic examination of encased rotifer embryos reveals the developmental trajectory leading to long-term dormancy; are they "animal seeds"? BMC Genomics 2024; 25:119. [PMID: 38281016 PMCID: PMC10821554 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-09961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Organisms from many distinct evolutionary lineages acquired the capacity to enter a dormant state in response to environmental conditions incompatible with maintaining normal life activities. Most studied organisms exhibit seasonal or annual episodes of dormancy, but numerous less studied organisms enter long-term dormancy, lasting decades or even centuries. Intriguingly, many planktonic animals produce encased embryos known as resting eggs or cysts that, like plant seeds, may remain dormant for decades. Herein, we studied a rotifer Brachionus plicatilis as a model planktonic species that forms encased dormant embryos via sexual reproduction and non-dormant embryos via asexual reproduction and raised the following questions: Which genes are expressed at which time points during embryogenesis? How do temporal transcript abundance profiles differ between the two types of embryos? When does the cell cycle arrest? How do dormant embryos manage energy? RESULTS As the molecular developmental kinetics of encased embryos remain unknown, we employed single embryo RNA sequencing (CEL-seq) of samples collected during dormant and non-dormant embryogenesis. We identified comprehensive and temporal transcript abundance patterns of genes and their associated enriched functional pathways. Striking differences were uncovered between dormant and non-dormant embryos. In early development, the cell cycle-associated pathways were enriched in both embryo types but terminated with fewer nuclei in dormant embryos. As development progressed, the gene transcript abundance profiles became increasingly divergent between dormant and non-dormant embryos. Organogenesis was suspended in dormant embryos, concomitant with low transcript abundance of homeobox genes, and was replaced with an ATP-poor preparatory phase characterized by very high transcript abundance of genes encoding for hallmark dormancy proteins (e.g., LEA proteins, sHSP, and anti-ROS proteins, also found in plant seeds) and proteins involved in dormancy exit. Surprisingly, this period appeared analogous to the late maturation phase of plant seeds. CONCLUSIONS The study highlights novel divergent temporal transcript abundance patterns between dormant and non-dormant embryos. Remarkably, several convergent functional solutions appear during the development of resting eggs and plant seeds, suggesting a similar preparatory phase for long-term dormancy. This study accentuated the broad novel molecular features of long-term dormancy in encased animal embryos that behave like "animal seeds".
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Hashimshony
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Andreas C Fröbius
- Molecular Andrology, Biomedical Research Center Seltersberg (BFS), Justus Liebig University Gießen, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Nitsan Dahan
- Interdisciplinary Center for Life Sciences and Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Vered Chalifa-Caspi
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Reini Hamo
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Oshri Gabai-Almog
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Idit Blais
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and IVF, Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yehuda G Assaraf
- The Fred Wyszkowski Cancer Research Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Esther Lubzens
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
- (Retired) Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel.
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Araujo TQ, King-Trudeau S, VanDyke J, Hochberg R. First ultrastructural description of an apomictic opsiblastic egg in freshwater Gastrotricha. J Morphol 2024; 285:e21659. [PMID: 38100746 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater gastrotrichs have a biphasic lifecycle that reputedly involves the production of three types of eggs: apomictic and fast hatching (tachyblastic ova), apomictic and delayed hatching (opsiblastic ova), and plaque-bearing eggs (potentially derived from mixis). While some details of oogenesis and eggshell structure are known for tachyblastic ova, there are few details on other egg types. Here, we provide the first ultrastructural description of the oviposited opsiblastic eggs of the freshwater gastrotrich, Lepidodermella squamata. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the eggshell surface to be ornamented with long flattened pillar-like structures centered on polygonal plates that are pitted along their periphery. Transmission electron microscopy showed the pits to lead to a vast labyrinth of tubular spaces and larger cavities throughout the thick apical layer of the shell. The basal layer of the shell is amorphous and connected to a network of fine fibers that traverse an extra-oocyte space and forms a protective sheet around the uncleaved oocyte. The uncleaved oocyte has a dense layer of peripheral ooplasm surrounding a core of organelles including mitochondria, membrane-bound secretion granules, endoplasmic reticulum, and a single nucleus in a granular, ribosome-rich cytoplasm. Secretion granules are the most abundant organelles and presumably contain lipid-rich yolk that will be used as energy for delayed cleavage, thus functioning in temporal dispersal. These data are compared to the fine structure of invertebrate resting eggs across the phylogenetic spectrum to determine the novelty of opsiblastic egg structure in L. squamata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Q Araujo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simon King-Trudeau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joanna VanDyke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rick Hochberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
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Acebal MC, Hansen BW, Jørgensen TS, Dalgaard LT. Analysis of the transcriptional pathways associated with the induction of quiescent embryonic arrest in the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa. Dev Biol 2023; 504:38-48. [PMID: 37739119 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
The copepod species Acartia tonsa (Dana)(Crustacea) have the unique ability to induce quiescent embryonic dormancy if adverse environmental conditions occur; a characteristic shared by 41 other species belonging to the superfamily Centropagoida in the Calanoida order. However, the transcriptional changes characterizing this process are not known. Here, we compare the transcriptome of embryos in arrested quiescence with the normal development to identify pathways and differentially regulated transcripts involved in quiescent embryogenesis. Quiescence was induced by incubating eggs at 4 °C with anoxia for 26 h(hr), while eggs undergoing normal immediate development were incubated at 16.9 °C in normoxia for 7 h (where gastrulation occurs) or 14 h (where organogenesis occurs) before collecting for RNA extraction and analysis by RNA-sequencing. Results indicate that the expression profile of the quiescent embryo is not as different from the normal embryonic gastrulation as initially expected: None of the mapped transcripts is uniquely expressed in quiescence. Moreover, in quiescence a large proportion of the annotated transcripts display expression values halfway in-between the normal, immediate developmental stages of gastrulation and organogenesis. In depth comparison between the organogenesis stage and quiescent samples, reveal a high degree of divergence, confirming that a developmental arrest has been induced through quiescence. Specifically: Stress response transcripts are prominent in the quiescent phase with a transcript like the mammalian autophagy gene Sequestosome-1/p62 (SQSTM) being upregulated. The present analysis provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms characterizing the quiescent embryonic state of A. tonsa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Cifuentes Acebal
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Benni Winding Hansen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Tue Sparholt Jørgensen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Environmental Science - Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Louise Torp Dalgaard
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
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Thirunavukkarasu S, Shadrin N, Munuswamy N. The pre- and postembryonic development of Artemia franciscana (Anostraca: Artemiidae). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:1003-1016. [PMID: 37635634 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Artemia franciscana is a universal live feed in aquaculture, and it has been reported as an invasive species in many Asian hypersaline ecosystems. The present observations illustrated the pre- and postembryonic development stages of the A. franciscana population confined to the Indian saltern of Kelambakkam. We observed their growth patterns during various hydration periods with specific time intervals. Results showed differences in the development stages with respect to unique identity. Interestingly, a period of hydration showed notable cellular movement toward clockwise positions in the hydrating cysts. After 10 h of hydration, blastocoel appeared, accelerating the dynamic route of nuclei movement. At the end of the invagination, the embryo burst out of the cyst, and a sequence of emerging stages was noted. With reference to light microscopic observations, a series of developmental stages were observed, and each instar was documented by developing limb buds of nauplii. Excitingly, the 10th and 11th instar stages reveal sexual differentiation between male and female individuals. Thus, the laboratory culture study clearly documented the different developmental stages with their specific characteristic features. However, further molecular study would provide a cellular basis for understanding the early development of A. franciscana.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nickolai Shadrin
- Laboratory of Extreme Ecosystems, A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Sevastopol, Russia
| | - Natesan Munuswamy
- Department of Zoology, Unit of Aquaculture and Cryobiology, University of Madras, Chennai, India
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Acebal MC, Dalgaard LT, Jørgensen TS, Hansen BW. Embryogenesis of a calanoid copepod analyzed by transcriptomics. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2023; 45:101054. [PMID: 36565589 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2022.101054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa (Dana) has attracted interest because of its use as a copepod model organism as well as its potential economic role as live fish larval feed. While the adult genome and transcriptome of A. tonsa has been investigated, no studies have been performed investigating the genome-wide transcriptional changes during the normal subitaneous embryogenesis. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate said transcriptional changes throughout A. tonsa embryonic development. RNA extraction and de novo transcriptome assembly for the subitaneous embryogenesis of the copepod was conducted. The assembly includes for the first-time samples describing quiescent development and overall helps establishing a framework for future studies on the molecular biology of our species of interest. Among the findings reported, sequences annotated to well-known developmental genes, were identified. At the same time are described the molecular changes and gene expression levels throughout the entire 42 h the embryonic development lasts. In conclusion, here we present the most complete genome-wide transcriptional map of early copepod embryonic development to date, enabling further use of A. tonsa as a model organism for crustacean development. Keywords: enrichment of pathways; subitaneous embryogenesis, comparative genomics; transcriptome assembly; invertebrate genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Cifuentes Acebal
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Louise Torp Dalgaard
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Tue Sparholt Jørgensen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Environmental Science - Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) at the Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark(1)
| | - Benni Winding Hansen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Thit A, Grønlund SN, Trudsø LL, Hansen BW, Herzog SD, Nielsen SL, Oturai NG, Posselt D, Ramasamy PK, Sandgaard MH, Syberg K, Selck H, Lyngsie G. Particles as carriers of matter in the aquatic environment: Challenges and ways ahead for transdisciplinary research. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:155831. [PMID: 35568170 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A diverse array of natural and anthropogenic particles found in the aquatic environment, can act as carriers of co-transported matter (CTM), such as nutrients, genetic material and contaminants. Thus, understanding carrier particle transport will increase our understanding of local and global fluxes of exogenous CTM (affiliated with the particle) and endogenous CTM (an inherent part of the particle). In the present contribution, researchers from multiple disciplines collaborated to provide perspectives on the interactions between carrier particles and CTM, and the fundamentals of transport of particles found in the aquatic environment and the generic spherical smooth particles, often used to make predictions about particle behavior in suspension. Evidently, the particles in the aquatic environment show a great variety of characteristics and vary greatly from each other as well as from the generic particle. However, in spite of these differences, many fundamental concepts apply to particles in general. We emphasize the importance of understanding the basic concepts of transport of particle-associated CTM, and the main assumptions in the generic-founded models, which are challenged by the diverging characteristics of particles found in the aquatic environment, as paramount moving forward. Additionally, we identified the need for a conceptual and semantic link between different scientific fields of particle research and initiated the formation of a consistent terminology. Disciplinary and organizational (academic and funding) barriers need to be overcome to enable individual researchers to move beyond their knowledge sphere, to stimulate future interdisciplinary collaborations and to avoid research silos. Hereby, we can foster faster and better progress of evolving research fields on new and emerging anthropogenic carrier particles, and stimulate the development of solutions to the technological and environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalie Thit
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark.
| | - Sara Nicoline Grønlund
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Søren Laurentius Nielsen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark; Ocean Institute, Læderstræde 20, 1201 København K, Denmark
| | | | - Dorthe Posselt
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark
| | | | | | - Kristian Syberg
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark
| | - Henriette Selck
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark
| | - Gry Lyngsie
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Denmark.
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Tladi M, Nyamukondiwa C, Cuthbert RN, Wasserman RJ. Emergent effects of light and temperature on hatching success of Streptocephalus cafer
(Branchiopoda: Anostraca) resting eggs. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Murphy Tladi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; Botswana International University of Science and Technology; Palapye Botswana
| | - Casper Nyamukondiwa
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; Botswana International University of Science and Technology; Palapye Botswana
| | | | - Ryan J. Wasserman
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; Botswana International University of Science and Technology; Palapye Botswana
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; Rhodes University; PO Box 94 Makhanda 6140 South Africa
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Thermotolerance experiments on active and desiccated states of Ramazzottius varieornatus emphasize that tardigrades are sensitive to high temperatures. Sci Rep 2020; 10:94. [PMID: 31919388 PMCID: PMC6952461 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56965-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming is already having harmful effects on habitats worldwide and it is therefore important to gain an understanding of how rising temperatures may affect extant animals. Here, we investigate the tolerance to high temperatures of Ramazzottius varieornatus, a tardigrade frequently found in transient freshwater habitats. Using logistic modelling on activity we evaluate the effect of 24 hour temperature exposures on active tardigrades, with or without a short acclimation period, compared to exposures of desiccated tardigrades. We estimate that the 50% mortality temperature for non-acclimated active tardigrades is 37.1 °C, with a small but significant increase to 37.6 °C following acclimation. Desiccated specimens tolerate much higher temperatures, with an estimated 50% mortality temperature of 82.7 °C following 1 hour exposures, but with a significant decrease to 63.1 °C following 24 hour exposures. Our results show that metabolically active tardigrades are vulnerable to high temperatures, yet acclimatization could provide a tolerance increase. Desiccated specimens show a much higher resilience—exposure-time is, however, a limiting factor giving tardigrades a restricted window of high temperature tolerance. Tardigrades are renowned for their ability to tolerate extreme conditions, but their endurance towards high temperatures clearly has an upper limit—high temperatures thus seem to be their Achilles heel.
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