Title:
USING ASCORBIC ACID AND HIGH SALINITY TO EXTEND THE VIABILITY OF PROALES SIMILIS (ROTIFERA) DIAPAUSING EGGS
USING ASCORBIC ACID AND HIGH SALINITY TO EXTEND THE VIABILITY OF PROALES SIMILIS (ROTIFERA) DIAPAUSING EGGS
Author(s)
Brashear, Jillian
Advisor(s)
Snell, Terry
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Abstract
Rotifers are sensitive indicators of environmental conditions and serve as model organisms for assessing toxicity. It is understood that rotifer cysts (diapausing eggs) are convenient for toxicity assessment because they remove the need to maintain animal cultures, reduce variability in tests, and can be stored for on-demand use. Indeed, cyst-based toxicity tests for the rotifer Proales similis have helped to fill a need for an additional marine animal model to the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in ecotoxicology. A challenge to implementing tests is the need for readily- available P. similis diapausing eggs, which need to be reliably preserved and hatched on demand. This study explores preservation methods to extend the viability of P. similis eggs. We explore factors including storage temperature, salinity, and the addition of ascorbic acid to measure their effects independently and combined. We found that storing the diapausing eggs at approximately 4℃ in the presence of 20µM ascorbic acid and a 220ppt salinity is effective for extending egg viability. With longer viability, P. similis diapausing eggs are more readily available and thereby valuable as a tool in toxicity assessments.
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Date Issued
2021-05
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Undergraduate Thesis