Research Gaps

Gap — How long is the continuous medusa-phase maintained in Turritopsis dohrnii (no reversions)?

What this gap is: We lack a documented upper bound (or even a proper survival curve) for continuous maintenance of the medusa body plan in T. dohrnii when reversions to polyp are disallowed.

What’s known (relevant facts):

• T. dohrnii medusae reach sexual maturity after ~25–30 days at 20 °C and ~18–22 days at 22 °C (16L:8D photoperiod), based on lab culture work that focused on development and ontogeny, not longevity per se. [Martell et al., 2016]
• Medusae of hydrozoans typically die after releasing gametes; in T. dohrnii they may instead revert to a cyst → polyp, restarting the cycle. Recent experimental work emphasizes that basic biology is