Environmental parameter on the circannual rhythm of reproductive strategy in planarian

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26440180
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Matsumoto Midori 慶應義塾大学, 理工学部(矢上), 准教授 (00211574)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: プラナリア / 無性生殖 / 有性生殖 / 概年リズム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There are races in planarian with switching of reproduction modes of between asexual and sexual, depending on the change of season. To identify the environmental parameter to induce the switching of reproduction modes, we collected Dugeisa ryukyuensis regularly in Okinawa through one year and established some strains, which switch between sexual mode and asexual mode under the constant environment in the laboratory (called as switching mode). The worms of the switching mode were asexual mode in summer. When their living condition had been changed from summer condition to winter condition (15 C in temperature and 10L14D in photoperiod), their reproduction modes were switched from asexual to sexual.
Unfortunately, worms of switching modes could not maintained their characters during three years or more. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly established some new strains, which switch between sexual mode and asexual mode under the constant environment for this experiment.

Free Research Field

生殖生物学