📄 Feeding Life: How Moina Powers Hydra Regeneration at CHM College

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:test_tube: CUBE ChatShaala Summary - 06/08/2025

Main Topic: The Moina Story

:mag: Background

The students of CHM College initiated a fascinating inquiry into culturing Moina as feed for Hydra. The story connects two live organisms in a meaningful lab ecology — Moina as a feeder, and Hydra as a model for regeneration.

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:seedling: TINKE Moments (Thinking IN the Knowledge Ecology)

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  1. Field Sampling Strategy

“Why collect Moina from the Botanical Garden and not culture it directly?”

:bulb: TINKE Insight: This question anchored a discussion about local biodiversity, water quality, and real-world ecology — a departure from textbook dependence.

  1. Feeding Experiments and Nutritional Ecology

“How does feeding Hydra with Moina affect its growth and budding?”

:bulb: TINKE Insight: This links ecological food chains to cellular behavior — especially Hydra’s budding and wound healing.

  1. Hydra Regeneration & Hypoxia Investigation

“What happens to Hydra regeneration when Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) is inhibited?”

:bulb: TINKE Insight: This question revealed how simple organisms like Hydra could model complex processes like oxygen sensing and healing — inspiring connections with human biology.

  1. Sketching as Scientific Thinking

Peer-labeled diagrams (tentacles, mouth, bud) created live discussion on parts and functions.

:bulb: TINKE Insight: Drawing becomes an act of thinking — not just illustrating.

:dna: Scientific Discussion

:white_check_mark: Objective of the Study

“ To culture Moina as a feed for Hydra ” — A simple but powerful experiment connecting trophic levels and lab sustainability.

:microscope: Moina Collection

:white_check_mark: Collected from Botanical Garden

:white_check_mark: Water collected from tank by Keyur Patel

:white_check_mark: Aim: To culture in lab for use as continuous food supply for Hydra.

:test_tube: Hydra as a Model System

Budding (asexual) observed in favorable conditions

Sexual reproduction under stress

Regeneration studied via wound healing mechanisms

:fog: Role of HIF in Hydra Regeneration

Cobalt chloride used to inhibit Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF)

Exploring whether HIF plays a role in regeneration processes in Hydra

Relevance : Mimics low-oxygen conditions to study how cells repair or regenerate.

:white_check_mark: What I Learned Today

  • The ecological and nutritional connection between Moina and Hydra.

  • The significance of oxygen levels and hypoxia in biological regeneration.

  • Visual learning (whiteboard drawings) aids deeper comprehension of Hydra structure.

  • Live experiments don’t always need complex tools — meaningful research can happen using locally available samples and thoughtful questioning.

##:question: Queries to Inspire the Community

  1. :brain: Can Hydra still regenerate when HIF is chemically blocked? What does that tell us about ancient oxygen-adaptation mechanisms?

  2. :seedling: If Moina is missing in a local water body, what environmental signals does that indicate?

  3. :dna: Does light influence Hydra’s regeneration when fed with Moina? Could symbiotic algae also be playing a role?

  4. :arrows_counterclockwise: What are some sustainable ways to culture Moina long-term in a home lab?

  5. :boom: Can wound healing in Hydra become a simple model to understand tissue regeneration in humans?

:books: Reference

@Arunan @2020ugchsncnseethala @KiranKalakotiR @sakshiconsultant2002 @magpie @SN1261 and others.

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