Date of Award

1964

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Biology

Abstract

Sample groups of the statoblasts of Lophopodella carteri (Hyatt) were pretreated by drying, cooling, freezing, immersion in water and combinations of these conditions. Then, they were subjected to 24-hour dark and 8, 12, and 24 hour light photoperiods . A control was maintained under natural dark-light (day-night) conditions. The analysis of variance and Newman-Keuls tests were used to analyze the data. The cool wet pretreatment gave the best germination for the statoblasts. For the photoperiods, statoblasts in 8 and 12 hour light periods and the control had the highest germination rate.

When sodium hypochlorite was used to surface-sterilize the stato­ blasts, germination increased in all photoperiods although this treatment did not alter the photoperiod pattern.

Statoblasts, when subjected to sea water did not germinate; however, they apparently were not damaged, for when removed from the sea water and placed in freshwater, germination compared favorably to that in the other photoperiod experiments. As the organism has a world-wide distribution, these results could possibly be indicative of a survival mechanism that permits their transportation through bodies of salt water.

The effects of several light wavelength bands on germination ware investigated and the results were essentially the same in all but the blue bands, where little or no germination occurred. A low light intensity and not the specific characteristics of the wavelength were considered to be the cause of the reduced germination in blue light.

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