GENETIC ANALYSIS OF DEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS IN HYDRA VII. STATISTICAL ANALYSES OF DEVELOPMENTAL-MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND CELLULAR COMPOSITIONS

Various strains belonging to Hydra magnipapillata are examined for their developmental-morphological characters and relative abundance of the six basic types of cells, and the results are statistically analysed.
Significant correlations are found between various (including seeming unrelated) characters. For example, budding rate, bud developmental rate and polyp size, which in theory can be all regulated by independent mechanisms, show strong correlations with each other. This suggests that the underlying mechanisms regulating these characters must be closely related to each other.
Similar significant coerelations are also found between the relative abundance of various cell types, but not between the developmental-morphological characters and the cellular composition. The significance of these findings are discussed.