Thermosensitivity during embryonic development of Lymnaea stagnalis (Mollusca)

Abstract

1. 1.|The percentage of survival after 1 hr at 40.0°C is lowest at the larval trochophore stage and at hatching of the young snail.

2. 2.|Heat resistance depends on the stage of development.

3. 3.|From the early cleavage stage onwards a higher percentage of embryos can withstand high temperature after a previous heat treatment than without it.

4. 4.|The pattern of thermosensitivity is discussed in relation to the organizational level of the stage of development.

5. 5.|It is concluded that the developing Lymnaea is a suitable system to study heat resistance and thermotolerance at the level of cells, organs and organism.