Resistance to environmental stress is one of the most important forces molding the distribution and abundance of species. We investigated the evolution of desiccation stress resistance using 20 outbred Drosophila melanogaster populations directly selected in the laboratory for adult desiccation resistance (D), postponed senescence (O), and their respective controls (C and B). Both aging and des...

Tolerance to desiccation in cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is inducible; only one in a million cells from an exponential culture survive desiccation compared with one in five cells in stationary phase. Here we exploit the desiccation sensitivity of exponentially dividing cells to understand the stresses imposed by desiccation and their stress response pathways. We found that induction of ...

In monocotyledonous plants, the process of seed development involves the deposition of reserves in the starchy endosperm and development of the embryo and aleurone layer. The final stages of seed development are accompanied by an increase in desiccation tolerance and drying out of the mature seed. We have used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for a time-resolved study of the changes in prote...

Changes in electrolyte leakage and viability in response to dehydration stress were examined in two species of seeds that do not survive desiccation. Leakage from silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) seeds increased markedly as seed moisture contents decreased from 45 to 35% (fresh weight basis) and germination decreased from 97 to 5%, coincidentally. Time course curves of imbibitional leakage fr...

We used experimental evolution to test the ‘melanism-desiccation’ hypothesis, which proposes that dark cuticle in several Drosophila species is an adaptation for increased desiccation tolerance. We selected for dark and light body pigmentation in replicated populations of D. melanogaster and assayed traits related to water balance. We also scored pigmentation and desiccation tolerance in popula...

Laying eggs out of water was crucial to the transition to land and has evolved repeatedly in multiple animal phyla. However, testing hypotheses about this transition has been difficult because extant species only breed in one environment. The pantless treefrog, Dendropsophus ebraccatus, makes such tests possible because they lay both aquatic and arboreal eggs. Here, we test the oviposition site...

Desiccation tolerance, the ability to survive nearly total dehydration, is a rare strategy for survival and reproduction observed in all taxa. However, the mechanism and regulation of this phenomenon are poorly understood. Correlations between desiccation tolerance and potential effectors have been reported in many species, but their physiological significance has not been established in vivo. ...

Experiments were carried out to test the susceptibility of Biomphalaria tenagophila to the infection with strain SJ of Schistosoma mansoni in the F1, F2 and non-selected parental generation. The potential adaptation of B. tenagophila to desiccation, in healthy mollusks and those exposed to the larvae of S. mansoni of the F1, F2 and non-selected parental generations was also studied. The presenc...

Although desiccation tolerance of Microcoleus species is a well-known phenomenon, there is very little information about their limits of desiccation tolerance in terms of cellular water content, the survival rate of their cells, and the environmental factors inducing their resistance to drying. We have discovered that three Microcoleus strains, isolated from terrestrial habitats of the High Arc...

Drosophila melanogaster selected for postponed aging have increased resistance to desiccation and increased flight duration. These and other populations were tested for longevity, flight duration, glycogen content, and stress resistance under a variety of conditions. It was found that desiccation resistance waspositively associated with flight duration and glycogen content, while glycogen was e...