GROWTH AND SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION OF HYDRA IN MASS CULTURE
GROWTH AND SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION OF HYDRA IN MASS CULTURE
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DOI:
10.1002/jez.1401320309
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发表时间:
1956-01-01
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
LENHOFF, HM
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
LOOMIS, WF;LENHOFF, HM
Any investigation of the metabolism of the coelenterate hydra demands a method of growing these animals in large numbers, for one hydra contains only about 40 [gamma] dry weight of material. The present paper describes a method of growing hydra in mass cultures, each culture containing approximately 10,000 hydra. Since as many mass cultures as desired may be grown simultaneously, this method provides adequate starting material for many kinds of investigation. Several interesting phenomena were observed during the development of this method. For example, it was found that the number of hydra in a newly-seeded culture increased along a sigmoid curve that could be divided into three phases (1) an embryonic phase, in which the initially seeded hydra increased logarithmically by budding; (2) a maturation phase, in which the originally asexual hydra differentiated into mature males and females; and (3) a final stationary phase, in which the hydra remained indefinitely at a constant level of population density. In several respects therefore, a mass culture of hydra was found to behave as an integrated biological unit, for the growth of the whole controlled the growth and differentiation of its component parts. Thus, increasing population density stimulated sexual differentiation at the same time as it eventually inhibited somatic growth by budding. The significance of these positive and negative group effects is discussed.