Plasticity and regeneration of gonads in the annelid Pristina leidyi

dc.contributor.authorÖzpolat, B. Duygu
dc.contributor.authorSloane, Emily S.
dc.contributor.authorZattara, Eduardo E.
dc.contributor.authorBely, Alexandra E.
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-26T15:30:16Z
dc.date.available2021-07-26T15:30:16Z
dc.date.issued2016-10-04
dc.description.abstractGonads are specialized gamete-producing structures that, despite their functional importance, are generated by diverse mechanisms across groups of animals and can be among the most plastic organs of the body. Annelids, the segmented worms, are a group in which gonads have been documented to be plastic and to be able to regenerate, but little is known about what factors influence gonad development or how these structures regenerate. In this study, we aimed to identify factors that influence the presence and size of gonads and to investigate gonad regeneration in the small asexually reproducing annelid, Pristina leidyi. We found that gonad presence and size in asexual adult P. leidyi are highly variable across individuals and identified several factors that influence these structures. An extrinsic factor, food availability, and two intrinsic factors, individual age and parental age, strongly influence the presence and size of gonads in P. leidyi. We also found that following head amputation in this species, gonads can develop by morphallactic regeneration in previously non-gonadal segments. We also identified a sexually mature individual from our laboratory culture that demonstrates that, although our laboratory strain reproduces only asexually, it retains the potential to become fully sexual. Our findings demonstrate that gonads in P. leidyi display high phenotypic plasticity and flexibility with respect to their presence, their size, and the segments in which they can form. Considering our findings along with relevant data from other species, we find that, as a group, clitellate annelids can form gonads in at least four different contexts: post-starvation refeeding, fission, morphallactic regeneration, and epimorphic regeneration. This group is thus particularly useful for investigating the mechanisms involved in gonad formation and the evolution of post-embryonic phenotypic plasticity.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-016-0059-1
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/ufha-el4y
dc.identifier.citationÖzpolat, B.D., Sloane, E.S., Zattara, E.E. et al. Plasticity and regeneration of gonads in the annelid Pristina leidyi . EvoDevo 7, 22 (2016).en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/27576
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtCollege of Computer, Mathematical & Physical Sciencesen_us
dc.relation.isAvailableAtDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_us
dc.relation.isAvailableAtBiologyen_us
dc.relation.isAvailableAtUniversity of Maryland (College Park, MD)en_us
dc.subjectPiwien_US
dc.subjectVasaen_US
dc.subjectNanosen_US
dc.subjectGonad regenerationen_US
dc.subjectGermlineen_US
dc.subjectPhenotypic plasticityen_US
dc.subjectStarvationen_US
dc.subjectAsexual reproductionen_US
dc.subjectParental effecten_US
dc.subjectAnnelidaen_US
dc.titlePlasticity and regeneration of gonads in the annelid Pristina leidyien_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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