Life span

Value 2 Weeks Range: 1.5 - 3 Weeks
Organism Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Reference Muschiol D, Schroeder F, Traunspurger W. Life cycle and population growth rate of Caenorhabditis elegans studied by a new method. BMC Ecol. 2009 May 16 9:14. P.4 table 1 Table - link PubMed ID19445697
Method In an attempt to join the advantages of liquid and solid media in the cultivation of nematodes, researchers recently developed an easy, fast, and yet precise method to perform life-cycle experiments [24]. In the present work, they adopted this 'hanging-drop' method to studies of the wild-type C. elegans strain N2. The method's convenience and reliability make its application of interest in many C. elegans-related research fields.
Comments Lifespan of 16.7 ± 5.8 days (N2 strain) and 14.7 ± 4.9 (MY6 strain). The life cycles of wild-type C. elegans strains N2 (Bristol, UK) and MY6 (Münster, Germany) were compared at 20°C with 5x10^9 Escherichia coli ml^-1 as food source. High-resolution life tables and fecundity schedules of the two strains are presented. Though isolated 700 km and 60 years apart from each other, the two strains barely differed in life-cycle parameters. For strain N2 (n = 69), the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r m d(-1)), calculated according to the Lotka equation, was 1.375, the net reproductive rate (R 0) 291, the mean generation time (T) 90 h, and the minimum generation time (T min) 73.0 h. The corresponding values for strain MY6 (n = 72) were r m = 1.460, R0 = 289, T = 84 h, and T min = 67.3 h. Mean generation times of 90 hours and 84 hours are 3.75 and 3.5 days, respectively.
Entered by Ron Milo - Admin
ID 100303