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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 1826

Robert Rico-Martinez and Terry W. Snell; Mating behavior and mate recognition pheromone blocking of male receptors in Brachionus plicatilis Muller (Rotifera). Hydrobiologia 313/314:105-110, 1995

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Copulatory behavior of three S and three L type B. plicatilis strains from different geographic areas was analyzed. A 29 KD surface glycoprotein on females, characterized as a Mate Recognition Pheromone (MRP), binds to receptors in the corona of males and blocks mate recognition. Blocking was observed in all S and L strains even though the MRP was isolated from a single L-type strain. Binding was quantified using image analysis and a 20-fold difference was observed among strains. A direct relationship between the male discrimination of females and the intensity of MRP binding to male receptors was found. This relationship might be useful as a tool to examine variation in the mate recognition systems of other rotifer species.