Copepods through a molecular lens - Livestream

Diapause is a type of dormancy used in arthropods to enter a state of “suspended animation” that, with a delay of development, allow organisms to overcome periods of unfavorable conditions. The sub-arctic calanoid copepod Neocalanus flemingeri has been a good model for studying diapause: dormancy is obligatory and post-embryonic and once the females wake up they only have to complete the reproductive program. Using transcriptomic, we characterized the precisely orchestrated sequence of the transcriptional changes associated with the wake up of the “sleeping beauty” that starts within an hour of an effective termination stimulus. In addition, we also discover that dormancy is not only a strategy used in adults. N. flemingeri early nauplii can enter a dormant state when experiencing starvation and reactivate their development when food become available again.

Speaker: Vittoria Roncalli, Stazione Zoologica A Dohrn

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