Record Details
Effects of an artificial Lunar cycle on reproduction in the sea anemone Aiptasia sp.
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Effects of an artificial Lunar cycle on reproduction in the sea anemone Aiptasia sp. |
| Names |
Tritt, McKenzie
(creator) Crowder, Camerron (creator) Weis, Virginia (creator) Weis, Virginia (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2014-06-04 (iso8601) |
| Note | Honors Bachelor of Science (HBS) |
| Abstract | The tropical sea anemone, Aiptasia sp., is a model organism within the phylum cnidaria, a group that includes globally threatened corals which are the bio-engineers of coral reefs. Aiptasia reproduce both sexually, in a process known as spawning, and asexually, mainly through a process known as pedal laceration. During spawning, either visible egg bundles or microscopic sperm are released into the water column. During pedal laceration, small pieces of pedal disc separate from the body column and form new anemones. Many cnidarians, particularly corals, show lunar periodicity in their spawning behavior, by spawning often after a full moon. In this experiment five individual Aiptasia genotypic strain were subjected to an artificial sunlight (white light) and moonlight (LED light) cycle for one year and anemones were examined regularly to determine the timing and amount of sexual and asexual reproduction. Over the course of one year, pedal laceration counts, oral disc diameter measurements, and the number and length of spawning events were measured. Results concluded that Aiptasia did not reproduce on a monthly basis and showed weak synchrony of spawning events. |
| Genre | Poster |
| Topic | Aiptasia |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/48734 |
