Environmental and molecular regulation of asexual reproduction in the sea anemone .

Cnidarians exhibit incredible reproductive diversity, with most capable of sexual and asexual reproduction. Here, we investigate factors that influence asexual reproduction in the burrowing sea anemone which can propagate asexually by transverse fission of the body column. By altering culture conditions, we demonstrate that the presence of a burrowing substrate strongly promotes transverse fission.

Characterization of the dynamics and variability of neuronal subtype responses during growth, degrowth, and regeneration of Nematostella vectensis.

Background: The ability to regenerate body parts is a feature of metazoan organisms and the focus of intense research aiming to understand its basis. A number of mechanisms involved in regeneration, such as proliferation and tissue remodeling, affect whole tissues; however, little is known on how distinctively different constituent cell types respond to the dynamics of regenerating tissues. Preliminary studies suggest that a number of organisms alter neuronal numbers to scale with changes in body size.

Notes on facultative predation in Prosimulium larvae (Diptera: Simuliidae) in alpine and subalpine streams in Colorado.

Although it is widely accepted that black fly larvae employ filter feeding as their primary mode of nutrient intake, other forms of food acquisition, such as predation, may be more prevalent than previously realized. It has been suggested that environments where particulate matter is low, such as high-elevation seasonal streams, may drive predatory behavior in black fly larvae. Relatively little is known about the frequency at which larvae prey on other organisms or if predation may be obligate in some species.