Maternal crowding can enhance the propensity of offspring to produce mictic females in the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus

Abstract

In the rotifer genus Brachionus, the proportion of mictic females in the offspring is significantly related to the population density experienced by their mother. In the present study, we examined whether population densities experienced by mothers could affect the propensity of their offspring to produce mictic females in Brachionus calyciflorus. Results showed that when the mother experienced a high population density, her offspring produced a significantly higher proportion of mictic daughters, 8.581.5 higher than those from a low maternal population density, along a gradient of population densities (1 ind. mL-1 to 0.025 ind. mL-1). The effect of maternal crowding on the propensity of offspring to produce mictic females was more significant when the offspring faced lower population densities. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.