The Reproductive Ecology of Fucoid Algae: Fertilization and Early Embryogenesis

虽然大多数海洋生物都有体外受精，但对控制受精成功和早期胚胎存活的过程知之甚少。潮间带岩藻是研究自然界这些过程的理想模式系统。配子释放的周期、受精过程中的电流速度和雄株/雌株的聚集程度将通过实验来确定和/或改变，以确定它们如何影响受精成功，这将由细胞学确定。受精是否能适应低盐度环境尚不清楚；特别有趣的是多精块是如何受到影响的，因为这在许多海洋物种中是依赖于Na+的。电生理学和生理学技术将被用来研究低盐度生境中岩藻的多精受精块。潮间带藻类胚胎在潮间带遇到的压力下存活的能力鲜为人知。将在实验室和自然界研究低潮浮现期间岩藻胚胎特定阶段的存活情况。激素脱落酸(ABA)在赋予对干燥和冷冻的耐受性方面的作用将通过定量免疫分析和用外源ABA治疗敏感期来检验。结合现有数据，这项工作将提供对影响海洋生物补充的生态过程的异常完整的了解。

Although most marine organisms have external fertilization, very little is know about the processes that control fertilization success and early embryonic survival. Inter tidal fucoid algae represent an ideal model system in which to study these processes in nature. Periods of gamete release, current velocities during fertilization, and degree of aggregation of male/female plants will be determined and /or varied experimentally to determine how they influence fertilization success, which will be determined cytological. Whether fertilization can adapt to low salinity environments is unknown; of particular interest is how the polyspermy block is affected, because this is Na+-dependent in may marine species. Electrophysiological and physiological techniques will be used to study the polyspermy block in fucoid algae from low salinity habitats. The ability of embryos of intertidal algae to survive the stresses encountered in the intertidal zone is poorly known. Stage- specific survival of fucoid embryos during low tidal emersion will be studied in the laboratory and in nature. The role of the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in conferring tolerance to desiccation and freezing will be examined by quantitative immunoassay and by treating sensitive stages with exogenous ABA. Taken together with existing data, this work will offer an unusually complete understanding of the ecological processes affecting recruitment of a marine organism.