Hatching with the enemy: Daphnia diapausing eggs hatch in the presence of fish kairomones

Summary. Infochemicals are known to play a key role in mediating predator-prey interactions, both in aquatic and terrestrial communities. However, state-dependent variation may exist in how effectively individuals can use this information, depending on genotype, life stage and experience. For our study, we used the predator-prey model system fish-waterflea Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Daphniidae). Adult Daphnia use fish-derived infochemicals, so-called kairomones, as indicators of predation risk, and exhibit a spectrum of morphological, behavioural and life-history responses to the presence of fish kairomones. Here, we investigate whether diapausing eggs, an embryonic resting stage in the life cycle of D. magna, also use fish kairomones and tune their hatching to the risk of fish predation, as reported for diapausing stages of dinoflagellates. In two laboratory experiments, we studied hatching proportion and time until hatching of D. magna diapausing eggs in the absence and presence of fish kairomones. D. magna families differed significantly in their response to the presence of fish kairomones; some families reduced hatching proportion, whereas others increased it. Our results imply genotype-dependent differences in the hatching reactions to fish kairomones as observed for other traits in adult Daphnia.     

衡阳地区黄刺蛾生活史及滞育习性观察

黄刺蛾Cmdocampa flavescens Walker 是我国林木、果树和园林绿化树上的重要害虫。该虫在湖南省衡阳地区1年发生1代,以老熟幼虫在茧内滞育越夏越冬,越冬幼虫于次年4月中旬开始化蛹,4月下旬至5月上旬为化蛹盛期,5月中旬成虫开始羽化,5月下旬幼虫开始孵化,6月下旬幼虫开始老熟做茧,7月上旬至次年4月中旬为幼虫滞育期。幼虫取食危害期仅1个月左右,幼虫在茧中滞育时间长达280d以上。