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Abstract:
The differentiation of male colonies in Volvox aureus M5 may be induced by chemical substances (phermones) found in culture fluids and in phenol extracts from whole colonies. The behaviour of the phermones from the two systems are similar in that they can survive phenol extraction under appropriate conditions, are activated by the addition of calf thymus histone, and are heat labile. The phermones differ in respect to the degree of heat sensitivity. A hypothetical model is proposed to account for these observations.