Long-term survival of hydrated resting eggs from Brachionus plicatilis

Several organisms display dormancy and developmental arrest at embryonic stages. Long-term survival in the dormant form is usually associated with desiccation, with orthodox plant seeds and Artemia cysts well documented examples. Several aquatic invertebrates displaying dormancy during embryonic development survive for tens or even hundreds of years in a hydrated form, raising the question whether survival in the non-desiccated form of embryonic development depends on pathways similar to those occurring in desiccation tolerant forms.