Strong intraspecific variation in genetic diversity and genetic differentiation in Daphnia magna: the effects of population turnover and population size

Theory predicts that genetic diversity and genetic differentiation may strongly vary among populations of the same species depending on population turnover and local population sizes. Yet, despite the importance of these predictions for evolutionary and conservation issues, empirical studies comparing high‐turnover and low‐turnover populations of the same species are scarce. In this study, we used Daphnia magna, a freshwater crustacean, as a model organism for such a comparison. In the southern/central part of its range, D. magna inhabits medium‐sized, stable ponds, whereas in the north, it occurs in small rock pools with strong population turnover. We found that these northern populations have a significantly lower genetic diversity and higher genetic differentiation compared to the southern/central populations. Total genetic diversity across populations was only about half and average within‐population diversity only about a third of that in southern/central populations. Moreover, an average southern population contains more genetic diversity than the whole metapopulation system in the north. We based our analyses both on silent sites and microsatellites. The similarity of our results despite the contrasting mutation rates of these markers suggests that the differences are caused by contemporary rather than by historical processes. Our findings show that variation in population turnover and population size may have a major impact on the genetic diversity and differentiation of populations, and hence may lead to differences in evolutionary processes like local adaptation, hybrid vigour and breeding system evolution in different parts of a species range.     

Phylogeography of Daphnia magna in Europe

The phylogeographical structure of the water flea Daphnia magna in Europe was analysed using a 609-bp fragment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Only moderate overall genetic divergence was detected within Europe. We detected four genetically and, to a large extent, geographically distinct phylogroups within Europe. Our results suggest that these groups recolonized large parts of Europe around 100,000 BP from different refugia. Overall, the pattern suggests a high degree of provincialism with a patchy occurrence of specific lineages, thus confirming the highly subdivided genetic structure usually observed in freshwater zooplankton populations. Although the region around the Mediterranean Sea was only sampled patchily, we obtained strong indications for the occurrence of more divergent genetic lineages in this region. Comparing our European samples to samples from North America and Japan revealed a higher level of differentiation, reflecting limited intercontinental dispersal.     

The response of European Daphnia magna Straus and Australian Daphnia carinata King to changes in geomagnetic field

This study investigates the effects of lifelong exposure to reversed geomagnetic and zero geomagnetic fields (the latter means absence of geomagnetic field) on the life history of Daphnia carinata King from Australia and Daphnia magna Straus from Europe. Considerable deviation in the geomagnetic field from the usual strength, leads to a decrease in daphnia size and life span. Reduced brood sizes and increased body length of neonates are observed in D. magna exposed to unusual magnetic background. The most apparent effects are induced by zero geomagnetic field in both species of Daphnia. A delay in the first reproduction in zero geomagnetic field is observed only in D. magna. No adaptive maternal effects to reversed geomagnetic field are found in a line of D. magna maintained in these magnetic conditions for eight generations. Integrally, the responses of D. magna to unusual geomagnetic conditions are more extensive than that in D. carinata. We suggest that the mechanism of the effects of geomagnetic field reversal on Daphnia may be related to differences in the pattern of distribution of the particles that have a magnetic moment, or to moving charged organic molecules owing to a change in combined outcome and orientation of the geomagnetic field and Earth's gravitational field. The possibility of modulation of self-oscillating processes with changes in geomagnetic field is also discussed.     

The use of inorganic substances to stimulate gut evacuation in Daphnia magna

Observations were done on the effect of inorganic substances on the gut evacuation process in Daphnia magna. Procedures which accelerate this process are described.     

有毒和无毒微囊藻对大型溞生长和繁殖的影响

近年来,随着工农业的快速发展和人们生活水平提高,一些城市生活污水和工农业废水流入江河、湖泊等淡水水体中,加剧了水体的富营养化和污染,导致蓝藻过度生长繁殖而形成水华,其中最常见的是微囊藻水华[1,2].     

Mechanisms of energy allocation to reproduction in the cladoceran Daphnia magna Straus

Understanding rules of resource allocation within individuals is helpful in explaining population dynamics. This is particularly the case under the conditions of resource limitation that are commonly experienced by zooplankton. Here, we evaluate assumptions underlying models of resource allocation in Daphnia and test the predictions of two models of response to starvation.
We also test the predictions of two simple models concerning the mechanisms of egg provisioning in Daphnia magna. Our results: (1) demonstrate that provisioning is discontinuous, occurring over a discrete period of the instar; (2) support the hypothesis that egg production occurs in a serial fashion; (3) show that Daphnia magna responds to starvation by ceasing egg production but that there is an increase in mean size of eggs provisioned during the instar, prior to starvation; and (4) broadly support predictions that the response of Daphnia to starvation is an instantaneous cessation of reproduction but that there is a time lag before death.     

Daphnia response to predation threat involves heat-shock proteins and the actin and tubulin cytoskeleton

Of all the environmental pressures that all organisms across all kingdoms must face, one of the greatest is the risk of predation. The unpredictability of predation events from the perspective of a single individual is one of the major components of a changing, unstable environment (Gliwicz and Pijanowska, 1989; Lampert, 1987). The panoply of antipredator defenses among terrestrial and aquatic organisms involves a variety of morphological, behavioral, and life-history adaptations that even if they are not life-saving, may enable organisms to complete reproduction before predation occurs. Most of these phenotypic changes are directly induced by cues associated with the biotic agent, in the case of aquatic organisms, the chemical compounds (kairomones) released by a predator into the water. Herein we show that exposure of Daphnia to invertebrate and vertebrate kairomones results in changes in motion, behavior, and life history and at the molecular level involves changes in heat-shock proteins (HSPs) level and the actin and tubulin cytoskeleton. In addition, some of these effects are transgenerational, i.e., they are passed on from the mother to her offspring.     

Sex ratio of the cyclic parthenogen Daphnia magna in a variable environment

The relationship between environmental factors, sex ratio and mating system in Daphnia magna was examined, and the adaptiveness of environmental sex determination over ametic sex determination was explored. Monthly sexual sex ratios (males over total number of males and sexual females) ranged from 0.31 to 1.0, the three-year average equalling 0.61. However, if only the samples collected during the period of frequent sexuality from August to October are included, the sexual sex ratio becomes equal, 0.51. Sexual sex ratios varied real between samples during the same period and the standard errors appeared highest in July ad August. Typical of suck times is some uncertainty in the environment, and the environmental cues can be contradictory. Sex expression in Daphnia appears to be determined by responses to complicated interactions between different environmental factors, which adaptively alter the sex ratio. The longterm sexual sex ratio of Daphnia aproaching the equilibrium 1:1, despite environmental sex %termination, gives support for Fisier's classic theory of equal parental investment in both sexes. An equal sex ratio is advantageous also during periods of small population size because it maximizes the effective population size.     

The effects of parasitism and inbreeding on the competitive ability in Daphnia magna: evidence for synergistic epistasis

Synergistic epistasis for fitness is often assumed in models of how selection acts on the frequency and distribution of deleterious mutations. Evidence for synergistic epistasis would exist if the logarithm of fitness declines more quickly with number of deleterious mutations, than predicted by a linear decline. This can be studied indirectly by quantifying the effect of different levels of inbreeding on fitness. Here, six sets (different genetic backgrounds) of three increasingly inbred Daphnia magna clones were used to assess their relative fitness according to changes in frequency in a competition experiment against a tester clone. A novelty of the mating procedure was that the inbreeding coefficients (F) of the three clones belonging to each set increased in steps of 0.25 independent of the (unknown) inbreeding coefficient of the common ancestor. The equal increase of the inbreeding coefficients is important, because deviations influence the quantification of inbreeding depression, its variance and the detection of epistasis. In a simple mathematical model we show that when working with a partially inbred population inbreeding depression is underestimated, the variance of fitness is increased, and the detection of epistasis more difficult. Further, to examine whether an interaction between inbreeding and parasitism exists, each inbred clone was tested with and without a microsporidium infection (Octosporea bayeri). We found a nonlinear decrease of the logarithm of fitness across the three levels of inbreeding, indicating synergistic epistasis. The interaction term between parasitism and inbreeding was not significant. Our results suggest that deleterious mutations may be purged effectively once the level of inbreeding is high, but that parasitism seems not to influence this effect.     

The use of biomarkers in Daphnia magna toxicity testing

We investigated the effect of short-term exposure to cadmium and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid on the digestive physiology of Daphnia magna and the consequences for the bioenergetics of the organism. In both cases, ingestion was more drastically reduced compared to digestive enzyme activity. Furthermore a differential shift in catabolism was noted: in general polysaccharidases were less affected than the enzymes responsible for protein and lipid digestion. Comparison of the ‘1 h in vivo fluorescence’ criterion (Janssen & Persoone, 1993) with the ingestion and digestive enzyme activity revealed that this rapid screening assay should be considered as a quantification of ingestion inhibition rather than a methodology assessing digestive enzyme inhibition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

大型溞引导的沉水植被生态修复对滴水湖水质的净化效果

2007年4月-2008年1月,在滴水湖D港中段长950m(水量为10000m3)的修复区内投放大型溞(Daphnia magna),以滤除水华藻类等颗粒有机物,然后移栽伊乐藻、苦草、轮叶黒藻、光叶眼子菜和菹草等沉水植物,逐月监测水体中总氮(TN)、铵态氮(NH4+-N)、硝态氮(NO3--N)、亚硝态氮(NO2--N)、总磷(TP)、活性磷酸盐(PO43--P)和COD等水质指标,分析沉水植被栽培对滴水湖水体水质的净化效果.结果表明:试验期间,修复区水体TN、TP、NO3--N、NO2--N、NH4+-N、PO43--P和COD显著低于对照区(P0.01),溶解氧(DO)增加了50.4%,水体透明度(SD)平均在3.4~3.7m,水质达到国家Ⅱ~Ⅲ类地表水水质标准;2008年3月应用已构建的沉水植被群落对富营养化流水水体水质进行净化试验,7d后修复区流水水体除BOD外,TN、TP、NO3--N、NO2--N、NH4+-N、PO43--P和COD均显著降低(P0.01),DO增加了17.98%,SD提高了30cm.利用大型溞控藻后移栽沉水植物对滴水湖水体水质的净化效果十分显著.     

Extinction hazards in experimental Daphnia magna populations: effects of genotype diversity and environmental variation

Extinction is ubiquitous in natural systems and the ultimate fate of all biological populations. However, the factors that contribute to population extinction are still poorly understood, particularly genetic diversity and composition. A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine the influences of environmental variation and genotype diversity on persistence in experimental Daphnia magna populations. Populations were initiated in two blocks with one, two, three, or six randomly selected and equally represented genotypes, fed and checked for extinction daily, and censused twice weekly over a period of 170 days. Our results show no evidence for an effect of the number of genotypes in a population on extinction hazard. Environmental variation had a strong effect on hazards in both experimental blocks, but the direction of the effect differed between blocks. In the first block, variable environments hastened extinction, while in the second block, hazards were reduced under variable food input. This occurred despite greater fluctuations in population size in variable environments in the second block of our experiment. Our results conflict with previous studies, where environmental variation consistently increased extinction risk. They are also at odds with previous studies in other systems that documented significant effects of genetic diversity on population persistence. We speculate that the lack of sexual reproduction, or the phenotypic similarity among our experimental lines, might underlie the lack of a significant effect of genotype diversity in our study.     

Reproducibility of short-term and reproduction toxicity experiments with Daphnia magna and comparison of the sensitivity of Daphnia magna with Daphnia pulex and Daphnia cucullata in short-term experiments

Short-term toxicity tests with Daphnia magna are reasonably reproducible. The sensitivity of Daphnia pulex, Daphnia cucullata and Daphnia magna proved to be about the same in short-term tests with 15 different chemical compounds.Reproduction toxicity experiments with Daphnia magna can easily be carried out within three weeks. At least duplicate experiments are necessary to arrive at an approximate no-effect level.     

Development of a bicistronic expression system in the branchiopod crustacean Daphnia magna

The viral 2A peptides have recently been used for bicistronic expression in various organisms. In this system, a single mRNA that codes for two proteins flanking the 2A peptide can be translated simultaneously into each protein by ribosomal skipping at this peptide sequence. Here, we tested the function of the Thosea asigna insect virus 2A (T2A) peptide in the branchiopod crustacean Daphnia magna—an emerging model of evolutionary developmental biology. First, we used transgenic Daphnia that expresses a potential bicistronic RNA containing mCherry and histone H2B‐ green fluorescent protein (GFP) open reading frames upstream and downstream of the T2A sequence, respectively. Microscopic observation revealed difference of localization of the two proteins in the cell, homogenous distribution of mCherry and nuclear localization of H2B‐GFP. Second, we changed localization of mCherry from cytoplasm to plasma membrane by attachment of a consensus myristoylation motif in the bicistronic reporter. RNA that codes for this new bicistronic reporter was injected into eggs. At gastrulation stage, we found spectrally distinct fluorescence with enough intensity and resolution to detect membrane localized mCherry and nuclear GFP. These results indicate that the T2A peptide functions in D. magna and T2A‐mediated bicistronic expression would be a promising tool for evo‐devo studies of this species.     

吡咯喹啉醌对大型溞繁殖、发育、存活和抗饥饿能力的影响

研究了吡咯喹啉醌（PQQ）对大型溞繁殖、发育、存活时间以及抗饥饿能力的影响。结果表明,5μmol/L的PQQ能够显著促进大型溞的繁殖能力,总产幼量从159.5只增加到207.67只（P〈0.05）。随着浓度增加到15和25μmol/L,其促繁殖效应有所减弱。与对照组相比,PQQ对大型溞发育过程中的龄期数和存活时间（寿命）无显著影响（P〉0.05）。然而,与5μmol/L浓度组相比,15和25μmol/L的PQQ却显著降低了大型溞的龄数和存活时间（P〈0.05）。PQQ能够明显提高大型溞的抗饥饿能力,最长存活时间从对照组的3 d增加到0.5 mmol/L PQQ组的8.33 d（P〈0.05）。     

3种微生态制剂对大型溞存活、生殖和种群增长的影响

研究了3种微生态制剂(复合微生态制剂Ⅰ、复合微生态制剂Ⅱ和芽孢杆菌)对大型溞的急、慢性毒性影响,分析比较了3种微生态制剂的安全使用剂量以及对大型溞生殖和种群增长的影响.试验结果表明,3种微生态制剂对大型溞死亡率影响均显著(P < 0.05),从安全浓度来看,对大型溞的毒性作用依次为:复合微生态制剂Ⅱ>复合微生态制剂Ⅰ>芽孢杆菌;在安全浓度范围内,3种微生态制剂对大型溞亲代(P)的生殖和种群增长均有明显的促进作用,表现在随微生态制剂浓度的升高,P代的净生殖率(R0)和内禀增长率(rm)均显著增加(P < 0.05),其中以复合微生态制剂Ⅰ的效果最好,R0最高值为对照组的7倍,rm最高值为对照组的1.7倍;3种微生态制剂对大型溞子一代(F1)和子二代(F2)的生殖和种群增长均没有促进作用.     

Eye movements in the water flea, Daphnia magna: effects of light-stimulus characteristics

ABSTRACT. Average Daphnia eye movement rates decline upon exposure to bright white light from an initial 8 Hz to 4.5 Hz after 20 min. Eye movement rates were maximal for white light of intensity 10W/m², and for blue light presented through the side of the head, though no difference could be measured between the responses to different light colours if presentation was through the top of the head.
Slow moving light stimuli rotating around the animal evoked different stereotyped eye movement patterns for blue and for orange light. Ultrastructural changes in the rectangular cross-section rhabdom were confined to the central region if the animal was exposed to strong orange light, and to the short edges if exposed to strong blue light.     

On the effects of Dikonirt (sodium salt of 2.4-Dichlorophenoxi-acetic acid) on the mortality and reproduction of Daphnia magna

The effects of sodium salt of 2.4-Dichlorophenoxi-acetic acid (2.4-D-Na) on the mortality and reproduction ofDaphnia magna have been tested.The mortality tests were performed in experiments with duration time of 24, 48 and 96 h at the temperatures of 15 and 20 °C. The toxic effect increased by 11–16 regarding 47% with increasing of temperature and exposure time.This herbicide (Dikonirt) affected adversely the reproduction of daphnids at concentration lower than tenth of LC₅₀ value.     

Inbreeding and adaptive plasticity: an experimental analysis on predator‐induced responses in the water flea Daphnia

Several studies have emphasized that inbreeding depression (ID) is enhanced under stressful conditions. Additionally, one might imagine a loss of adaptively plastic responses which may further contribute to a reduction in fitness under environmental stress. Here, we quantified ID in inbred families of the cyclical parthenogen Daphnia magna in the absence and presence of fish predation risk. We test whether predator stress affects the degree of ID and if inbred families have a reduced capacity to respond to predator stress by adaptive phenotypic plasticity. We obtained two inbred families through clonal selfing within clones isolated from a fish pond. After mild purging under standardized conditions, we compared life history traits and adaptive plasticity between inbred and outbred lineages (directly hatched from the natural dormant egg bank of the same pond). Initial purging of lineages under standardized conditions differed among inbred families and exceeded that in outbreds. The least purged inbred family exhibited strong ID for most life history traits. Predator‐induced stress hardly affected the severity of ID, but the degree to which the capacity for adaptive phenotypic plasticity was retained varied strongly among the inbred families. The least purged family overall lacked the capacity for adaptive phenotypic plasticity, whereas the family that suffered only mild purging exhibited a potential for adaptive plasticity that was comparable to the outbred population. We thus found that inbred offspring may retain the capacity to respond to the presence of fish by adaptive phenotypic plasticity, but this strongly depends on the parental clone engaging in selfing.