![]() Efforts to identify molecular mechanisms that regulate asexual reproduction are limited to the window during which a clone is being generated. Within cnidarians, seasonality can affect asexual reproduction in Aurelia, population density and body size have been shown to regulate the rates of bud formation in Hydra, and feeding has been demonstrated to increase asexual reproduction in Hydra, Aurelia, and Nematostella. ![]() Individual attributes such as physical condition and body size have also been shown to have an influence on asexual reproduction. Įnvironmental factors have been found to influence asexual reproduction in non-cnidarian species including stochastic environmental conditions, mate availability, seasonality and population density. While sexual reproduction has been relatively well studied in cnidarians, particularly coral spawning, factors that affect asexual reproduction are not yet well characterized in any species, and most studies are descriptive - focusing on how asexual reproduction occurs ( e.g., budding, fissioning). Determining how sexual and asexual reproduction are regulated is an important first step to begin understanding the mechanisms that dictate an organism’s reproductive health and how they allocate resources between alternative reproductive strategies. Although cnidarians exhibit diverse reproductive strategies, most species are capable of facultative asexual reproduction. Asexually reproducing organisms can be obligate (only reproduce asexually) or facultative (can reproduce both sexually and asexually). We are interested in understanding the mechanisms that regulate asexual reproduction in this diverse group. Collectively, these experiments provide a foundation for mechanistic studies of asexual reproduction in Nematostella, with implications for understanding the reproductive and regenerative biology of other cnidarian species.Ĭnidarians ( e.g., corals, anemones, jellyfish, hydrozoans) occupy a range of niches and play large roles in many ecosystems, which arguably makes investigation of their reproductive strategies important for our understanding of ocean ecology and conservation. Finally, we demonstrate that the rate of asexual reproduction is sensitive to population density. Gene ontology analyses further suggest that during transverse fission the cell cycle is suppressed and that cell adhesion and patterning mechanisms are downregulated to promote separation of the body column. Homeobox transcription factors and components of the TGFβ, Notch, and FGF signaling pathways are differentially expressed in polyps undergoing physal pinching suggesting they are important regulators of transverse fission. In addition, we show that animal size does not affect fission rates, and that the plane of fission is fixed along the oral-aboral axis of the polyp. ![]() By altering culture conditions, we demonstrate that the presence of a burrowing substrate strongly promotes transverse fission. Here we investigate factors that influence asexual reproduction in the burrowing sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, which can propagate asexually by transverse fission of the body column. Cnidarians exhibit incredible reproductive diversity, with most capable of sexual and asexual reproduction.
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