Abstract
Brachionus plicatilis raised in our laboratory in sea water reproduces asexually even under high crowding conditions (at least 40 individuals per ml). Amictic females were induced to produce mictic females, males and resting eggs by reducing the concentration of the sea water culture medium. Mictic females and males appeared predominantly among the progeny produced by the amictic females during 4 days following their transfer into 25% sea water. Resting eggs appeared first 5–12 days after the onset of the experiment. Following the disappearance of males, the culture consisted of amictic females.
Resting eggs produced by the method described above may be preserved for at least three months at −14°C or by desiccation at room temperature. Under the appropriate experimental conditions, resting eggs hatch into amictic females. Since B. plicatilis is one of the most commonly used food sources of fish larvae in aquaculture, the methods reported here may offer an easy and versatile way of preserving rotifer culture stock to be used on demand.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Gilbert, J. J. 1974. Dormancy in rotifers. Trans. am. microsc. Soc. 98: 490–513.
Ito, T. 1960. On the culture of mixohaline rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, O. F. Müller in the sea water. Rep. Fac. Fish. Pref. Univ. Mie 3: 708–740 (in Japanese).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lubzens, E.(., Fishler, R. & Berdugo-White, V. Induction of sexual reproduction and resting egg production in Brachionus Plicatilis reared in sea water. Hydrobiologia 73, 55–58 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00019425
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00019425