Genetic analysis of developmental mechanisms in hydra. XVI. Effect of food on budding and developmental gradients in a mutant strain L4.

Effect of food was examined on the budding rate and the developmental gradients of a mutant hydra strain L4. This mutant strain has very high levels of head-inhibition potential gradient along its body axis (Takano & Sugiyama, 1983). It also has a reduced budding capacity when it is cultured using brine shrimp nauplii as food, but its budding capacity is significantly improved when a small amount of tubifex worm tissue is added to its diet of brine shrimp (Takano, 1984). To test whether or not this change of budding rate is correlated with the change in the levels of the head-activation or head-inhibition potential gradients, L4 animals were cultured on the diet of brine shrimp with or without addition of tubifex worm tissue and the budding rates and the gradient levels were examined in these animals. The results showed that food affected the budding rate in L4 without affecting its gradient levels. This suggests that the gradient levels and the budding rate in L4 are are uncorrelated to each other, and that therefore the high levels of head-inhibition potential are not the cause for the low budding rate in this strain (cf., Takano & Sugiyama, 1983).