PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vaughn, Dawn
AU  - Strathmann, Richard R.
TI  - Predators Induce Cloning in Echinoderm Larvae
AID  - 10.1126/science.1151995
DP  - 2008 Mar 14
TA  - Science
PG  - 1503--1503
VI  - 319
IP  - 5869
4099  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/319/5869/1503.short
4100  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/319/5869/1503.full
SO  - Science2008 Mar 14; 319
AB  - Asexual propagation (cloning) is a widespread reproductive strategy of plants and animals. Although larval cloning is well documented in echinoderms, identified stimuli for cloning are limited to those associated with conditions favorable for growth and reproduction. Our research shows that larvae of the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus also clone in response to cues from predators. Predator-induced clones were smaller than uncloned larvae, suggesting an advantage against visual predators. Our results offer another ecological context for asexual reproduction: rapid size reduction as a defense.