what is the phenemona of sili worm
Answers
Silkworm Biology
Stages of life cycle
The domestic silkmoth, Bombyx mori, is a member of the family Bombycidae of about 300 moth species under the order Lepidoptera. The life cycle of silkworm represents the most advanced form of metamorphosis. Termed holometabolous, the silkworm completes life cycle through serial progression of four distinct stages of development; egg, larva, pupa andI adult. The number of life cycles (generations, which is termed as voltinism) per year depends on the silkworm strain and it varies with the environmental conditions particularly temperature. Silkworm strains which go through multiple generations (5-6) in a year are polyvoltines or multivoltines. These strains do not undergo egg diapause, which is an adaptation to tropical condition in which there is no severe winter. Under natural conditions, silkworm strains which undergo only one generation in a year are univoltine strains. This is an adaptation to overcome harsh winters in temperate countries. Artificially, these eggs which hibernate during winter are stored at 4oC. After removal from cold storage to room temperature (25oC), about two weeks later ova in diapause eggs begin final development until hatching. The egg is about the size of a pinhead and resembles a poppy seed. The eggshell provides a protective covering for embryonic development. When first laid, an egg is light yellow. Fertile ova darken to a blue-grey within a few days. The larva is an elongated caterpillar ,the only feeding stage in the life cycle. The larva is monophagous, feeds only on mulberry (Morus alba). During larval life, the larva sheds its skin (molt) 4 times to accommodate growth. The period between successive molts is called an instar. At the end of the 5th instar, the larva spins a silk cocoon of one continuous fibre within which it undergoes pupation. Silk cocoons are the commercial source of silk. From the time larva hatches out from the egg up to the time of spinning silk thread at the end of larval life, grows about 10,000 times. Bred in captivity for thousands of years on trays of mulberry leaves, B. mori is fully domesticated and cannot survive without the assistance of man. The silk cocoon serves as protection for the pupa. Cocoons are shades of white, cream and yellow depending on silkworm variety. After a final molt inside the cocoon, the larva develops into a brown, chitin covered structure called the pupa. Metamorphosis of the pupa result in an emerging moth or adult. The moth is covered with heavy, round, furry scales and lacks functional mouthparts, so are unable to consume food. The forewing has a hooked tip, which is a characteristic feature of this family; however it is flightless. Wings and body are usually white, but may vary in shades of light brown. Wingspan is 1.5 to 2.5 inches. (4-6 cm). It is the reproductive stage where adults mate and females lay eggs. Adult is the final stage in the life cycle of B. mori.
Chromosomes and their behaviour
As in most Lepidoptera, chromosomes of the silkworm are holocentric, i.e. they possess centromeres throughout the chromosome body. This was shown by (i) persistence of chromosome fragments after irradiation during cell division, (ii) the dispersion of microtubule attachments, (iii) the absence of recombination nodules in females, (iv) the presence of supernumerary chromosomes in some close relatives of the silkworm, and (v) the chromosome pairing behaviour and fertility of interspecific hybrids of two Saturniid species,Antheraea pernyi (Chinese oak tasar silkmoth) and Antheraea roylei (Indian oak silkmoth) with diverse chromosome number. B. mori chromosomes are highly condensed and appear dot-shaped at most meiotic and mitotic metaphase stages. Diffused centromeres and lack of special features make them difficult to identify individually. This has resulted in limited application of modern cytogenetic tools for genetic and molecular studies.
Genetics
The silk moth, B. mori has been used as a model system for formal genetic studies since the discovery of Mendelian inheritance at the turn of the century because of its large size, ease of rearing in the laboratory and economic importance. The well-developed genetics of this species includes more than 400 mutations, which have been mapped to 28 linkage groups or chromosomes. In addition, the existence of hundreds of geographic races and genetically improved strains used for silk production which differ not only in Mendelian traits but also in quantitative traits such as body size, feeding duration, thermal tolerance and disease resistance. These traits remain to be subjected to systematic analysis using modern genetic tools..