The Drinking of Microparticles (< 0.5 µm) by Brochionus Plicatilus

Submission Type

Event

Expected Graduation Date

2015

Location

Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Start Date

4-18-2015 9:00 AM

End Date

4-18-2015 10:00 AM

Disciplines

Biology

Comments

Abstract

Many aquatic animals capture particulate foods from water currents created by the beating of their cilia. This process of particle capture in invertebrate larvae and adults involves the separation of 'large" particles (1-20 µm) from these currents before the particles enter the digestive system. However, members of the phylum Rotifera also ingest smaller particles (Brachionus plicatilus,to drink seawater; we incubated rotifers in 4.71×10-6 M dextran which was linked to a fluorescent molecule, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-dextran), for 10, 30, and 60 minutes. Animals which were treated in an identical fashion, but not exposed to the FITC-dextran represented experimental controls. After each incubation period, the rotifers were fixed and then photographed using fluorescence microscopy (1/7s shutter speed, 170 c-gain). In order to quantify the fluorescence present in different regions of each image, the photos were analyzed using the ImageJ software. We found that fluorescence from the digestive system of Brachionus plicatilis increased with longer exposure times to FITC-dextran. (R2=0.54, P = 0.024). This leads us to accept that the increasing presence of fluid containing the fluorescent label over time indicates that the replacement of fluid within the digestive tract of the animal, thus “drinking”, is occurring.

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Apr 18th, 9:00 AM Apr 18th, 10:00 AM

The Drinking of Microparticles (< 0.5 µm) by Brochionus Plicatilus

Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Many aquatic animals capture particulate foods from water currents created by the beating of their cilia. This process of particle capture in invertebrate larvae and adults involves the separation of 'large" particles (1-20 µm) from these currents before the particles enter the digestive system. However, members of the phylum Rotifera also ingest smaller particles (Brachionus plicatilus,to drink seawater; we incubated rotifers in 4.71×10-6 M dextran which was linked to a fluorescent molecule, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-dextran), for 10, 30, and 60 minutes. Animals which were treated in an identical fashion, but not exposed to the FITC-dextran represented experimental controls. After each incubation period, the rotifers were fixed and then photographed using fluorescence microscopy (1/7s shutter speed, 170 c-gain). In order to quantify the fluorescence present in different regions of each image, the photos were analyzed using the ImageJ software. We found that fluorescence from the digestive system of Brachionus plicatilis increased with longer exposure times to FITC-dextran. (R2=0.54, P = 0.024). This leads us to accept that the increasing presence of fluid containing the fluorescent label over time indicates that the replacement of fluid within the digestive tract of the animal, thus “drinking”, is occurring.