Essays Upon Heredity and Kindred Biological Problems: Authorised TranslationWeismann, August
Science
Essays Upon Heredity and Kindred Biological Problems: Authorised Translation
Weismann, August
Evolution (Biology); Genetics; Reproduction
With the aid of my hypothesis that the egg-nucleus is composed of
ovogenetic nucleoplasm and germ-plasm, I can now attempt to give an
approximate explanation of the nature and origin of the direct causes
which determine the production, at one time of parthenogenetic
summer-eggs, and at another time of winter-eggs, requiring
fertilization. But in such an explanation I should also wish to include
a consideration of the causes which determine the formation of the
nutritive cells of the egg and of the sperm-cells to which I have
alluded above.
I believe that the direct cause which determines why the apparently
identical cells of the young testis and ovary in the _Daphnidae_
develope in such different directions, is to be found in the fact, that
their nuclei possess different histogenetic nucleoplasms, while, if we
neglect individual differences, the germ-plasm remains precisely the
same. In the sperm-cells the histogenetic nucleoplasm is spermogenetic,
in the egg-cells it is ovogenetic. This must be conceded if our
fundamental view is correct, that the specific nature of the cell-body
is determined by the nature of its nucleus.
Similarly, the germ-cells of female _Daphnidae_, which at first do not
exhibit the smallest differences, must really differ in that their
nuclei must contain different kinds of nucleoplasm, which are present
in different proportions. Germ-cells which are to produce a finely
granular, brick-red, winter yolk (_Moina rectirostris_) must possess an
ovogenetic nucleoplasm of a somewhat different molecular structure from
those germ-cells which have only to form a few large blue fat-globules,
as in the summer-eggs of the same species. It is further probable that
different proportions obtain between germ-plasm and ovogenetic
nucleoplasm, in these two kinds of germ-cells; and it would be a very
simple explanation of the otherwise obscure part played by the
food-cells, if we were to suppose that they do not contain any
germ-plasm at all, and on this account do not enter upon embryonic
development, but are arrested after growing to a certain size. Such an
explanation, however, would not by itself show why they subsequently
undergo gradual solution in the surrounding fluids. But since we know
that egg-cells also begin to undergo solution as soon as the parent
Daphnid is poorly nourished, we can hardly help also referring the
solution of the food-cells to insufficient nourishment, occurring as
soon as the egg-cell, after the attainment of a certain size, exercises
a superior power of assimilation. But hitherto we could not in any way
understand why the third out of a group of germ-cells should always
gain this superior power and become an egg-cell. If it could be shown
that its position is more highly favoured in respect of nutrition, we
could understand why it outstrips the other three in development, and
thus prevents them from further growth. But nothing of the kind can be
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