UNUSUAL RESPONSE OF ARTEMIA-FRANCISCANA EMBRYOS TO PROLONGED ANOXIA

Encysted embryos of the crustacean Artemia franciscana are shown to su rvive at least 2 years of continuous anoxia, a record unequaled by any other free-living animal. This result, in conjunction with previous f indings, supports the possibility that these embryos are an exception to the generality that a constant flow of free energy is required for eukaryotic cell survival, under ordinary conditions of temperature and water content. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.