Rearing methods and life cycle characteristics of Chironomus sp. Florida (Chironomidae: Diptera): A rapid-developing species for laboratory studies

The species Chironomus sp. “Florida” has several qualities that make it a potential aquatic laboratory model to be used in Puerto Rico. Its use as such, however, requires a rearing protocol and life cycle description not previously reported. The present study addresses this lack of information by first describing a rearing method obtained through three years of observations. Next we describe and discuss the life cycle and the effects of temperature and feeding on development. The species has a short life cycle (typically 11 days) and larval stages easily identified using body measurements. Temperature affects the duration of the life cycle, with warm temperatures producing faster development than cold temperatures. The effects of different food concentrations vary: in large water volumes, concentrations of 2 mg/larva/day produce faster developmental times, but at low water volumes, small food concentrations of 0.5 mg/larva/day produce faster developmental times. The rearing protocol and life cycle parameters presented in this study are intended to promote the use of this species as a laboratory model. The fast development of Chironomus sp. “Florida” makes it ideal for toxicological studies.

Inducible morphological defense in Daphnia pulex: food quantity effects revised

In aquatic systems, organisms largely rely on chemical cues to perceive information about the presence of predators or prey. Daphnia recognize the presence of the predatory larvae of Chaoborus via a chemical cue, emitted by the larvae, a so-called kairomone. Upon recognition, neckteeth, an alteration of the carapace, are induced in Daphnia that reduce predation rates of Chaoborus. Neckteeth induction was often reported to entail costs. In a previous study, food quantity affected the level of neckteeth induction, with stronger neckteeth induction at low food concentrations and weak induction at high food concentrations. However, reducing neckteeth induction at high food quantities seems to be maladaptive and not in accordance with the concept that inducible defenses are associated with costs. Here, we hypothesized that weaker neckteeth induction at high food concentrations is caused by increased bacterial degradation of the kairomone. More specifically, we assume that higher algal food concentration is associated with higher bacterial abundances, which degrade the kairomone during the experiment. We tested our hypothesis by treating food algae with antibiotics before providing them as food to Daphnia. Antibiotics reduced bacterial abundances at high and low food concentrations. Reduced bacterial abundances at high food concentrations led to the same level of neckteeth induction as at low food concentrations. A linear regression revealed a significant correlation of neckteeth induction to bacterial abundances. We therefore conclude that differences in neckteeth induction at different food concentrations are not caused by the food quantity effects but by differences in bacterial degradation of the kairomone.

Does resource availability influence the vital rates of the tropical copepod Apocyclops royi (Lindberg, 1940) under changing salinities?

The physiology of invertebrates inhabiting many coastal ecosystems is challenged by strong temporal fluctuations in salinity. We investigated how food availability influences vital rates in the tropical cyclopoid copepod Apocyclops royi subjected to different salinities (5–32 PSU). We hypothesized that (i) mortality decreases and egg production rate increases with food availability; (ii) under suboptimal salinity, mortality increases and the egg production rate is reduced and (iii) the threshold concentration for egg production (the lowest food concentration where egg production is initiated) shifts to higher food concentrations when challenged by salinity. Surprisingly, A. royi survived, ingested food and produced eggs at all tested salinities. Mortality rate was, however, dependent on salinity level, but not on food availability. Mortality increased (~12% h−1) during short-term (1 h) salinity acclimatization to 5 PSU and during the following 24-h incubations (~5% d−1) compared with higher salinities. Feeding and egg production rates increased with food availability up to an optimum at all salinity levels, with no effect of salinity on the lowest food concentration initiating egg production. This reveals a high-salinity tolerance by A. royi and may partly explain why this particular copepod is so successful compared with its congeners in occupying extreme habitats.

Effect of salinity and food concentration on competition between Brachionus plicatilis Müller, 1786 and Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas, 1776 (Rotifera)

Natural populations of planktonic rotifers are affected by salinity and food density, among other stressors. Moreover, competition among congeneric species limits the abundance of certain rotifers in ecosystems without spatial heterogeneity and environmental fluctuations. We isolated Brachionus plicatilis and Brachionus calyciflorus from Salado River basin waterbodies and studied the demographic characteristics and competition between them at three salinity levels (0.75, 1.75 and 2.75gL–1 NaCl) and at two food concentrations (0.1×106 and 0.5×106 cells mL–1 Chlorella vulgaris). The lowest salinity level proved to be unfavourable for the population growth of B. plicatilis, but at higher salinity levels the growth was similar to that of controls (without competition), even in the presence of the competitor and at either food concentration. By contrast, the competitor almost always decreased the density of B. calyciflorus. Salinity greatly affected the peak density of B. plicatilis, whereas the effects of salinity and competition on B. calyciflorus were similar. Biomass was inversely related to salinity for both species, and was significantly affected by competition in B. plicatilis. These results show that B. calyciflorus is more adversely affected than B. plicatilis by competition and high salinity, and explain why both species can coexist in eutrophic saline lowland rivers and pampean shallow lakes.

Risk of predation alters resource allocation in Daphnia under food limitation

Life-history theory predicts that animals adjust their resource allocation to somatic growth or to reproduction to maximize fitness. Resource allocation in Daphnia is known to respond to quantitative food limitation as well as to kairomones released from predators. Here we investigated in a full-factorial design how kairomone from larvae of Chaoborus flavicans, a gape-limited predator, and food quantity (0.5 mg C/L versus 1.5 mg C/L) affect the fatty acid allocation of D. pulex. Low food diminished somatic growth, clutch size and clutch biomass and increased neckteeth formation in response to the kairomone. Low food further led to increased fatty acid amounts per individual egg as well as to increased fatty acid content in eggs and to increased relative fatty acid allocation to reproduction. The latter effect was suppressed by kairomone of Chaoborus, whereas on high food the provision of eggs was further enhanced. We also found that more eicosapentaenoic acid was retained in the body of mothers in the presence of the predator at low food concentrations. These findings indicate that under food limitation and in the presence of kairomone from Chaoborus larvae, Daphnia switches from allocation into current reproduction to investment into future reproductive events.

Relative impacts of the invasive Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, over the native blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, are mediated by flow velocity and food concentration

The ecological impacts of invasive species can be severe, but are generally viewed as highly unpredictable. Recent methods combining per capita feeding rates, population abundances and environmental contexts have shown great utility in predicting invader impacts. Here, clearance rates of the invasive Pacific oyster, Crassostreagigas, and native mussel, Mytilusedulis, were investigated in a laboratory experiment where oscillatory water flow and algal food concentrations were manipulated. Invasive oysters had lower clearance rates than native mussels in all experimental groups and did not differ among flow velocities or food concentrations. Native mussel clearance rates were higher at 5 cm s-1 compared to 0 and 15 cm s-1 flow velocities and increased with increasing food concentration. The Relative Impact Potential (RIP) metric was used to assess (i) the influence of flow velocity and food concentration on potential impacts of C.gigas on plankton resources and, (ii) the impacts of coexisting reefs, containing both species, on resources compared to monospecific native mussel beds. Greatest Relative Impact Potential of invasive oysters was seen at the lowest flow velocity, but became reduced with increasing flow velocity and food concentration. Relative Impact Potentials of coexisting reefs were generally greater than monospecific native mussel beds, with greatest impacts predicted at lowest flow velocity. We suggest that the greatest ecological impacts and competition potential of C.gigas will occur in areas with low flow velocity, but that increased flow will mediate co-existence between the two species.

Role of <i>Calanus sinicus</i> (Copepoda, Calanoida) on dimethylsulfide production in Jiaozhou Bay

The role of copepod Calanus sinicus on the production of dimethylsulfide (DMS)/dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in Jiaozhou Bay was evaluated in field and laboratory experiments. Samples at 10 sites in the bay were collected monthly from June 2010 to May 2011 (except for March 2011), and zooplankton species composition was analyzed. The relationship between copepod abundance and DMS or DMSP concentration was investigated. Effects of C. sinicus grazing on DMS/DMSP production at different conditions (i.e., algal diets, food concentrations, and salinities) were assessed in the laboratory. Data from the field experiment showed that C. sinicus was the predominant copepod in Jiaozhou Bay (up to 123 individuals m−3 in May 2011) and has no apparent effect on DMS/DMSP production. In the laboratory experiment, compared with Gymnodinium sp. or Emiliania huxleyi, C. sinicus feeding on Isochrysis galbana and Chaetoceros curvisetus exhibited increased DMS concentration, whereas high salinity inhibited DMS production. This study indicated that DMSP was transferred from phytoplankton to copepod body, fecal pellet, and seawater through copepod grazing. Our results provided important information to understand the biogeochemical cycle of DMSP in Jiaozhou Bay.

Effects of food concentration on the life table demography and morphology of three Keratella quadrata morphotypes

Keratella quadrata with two (2PS), one (1PS) and none posteolateral (0PS) spines were cultured under four food levels (0.75 × 106, 1.5 × 106, 3.0 × 106 and 6.0 × 106 cells·mL−1 of Scenedesmus obliquus) to test the differences in the life table demography and the morphological characteristics among these three morphotypes. The results showed that each K. quadrata morphotype could produce 2PS, 1PS and 0PS offsprings. The frequencies of 0PS were extremely low (<5%) and could be considered as a small probability event, suggesting that the 0PS morphotype might be an abnormal status. The following life table demographic tests suggested that 0PS morphotype had a relatively lower intrinsic rate of population growth at high food concentrations and a relatively lower average lifespan, in comparison to 2PS rotifers. These results further supported that the 0PS K. quadrata might be an abnormal development. Along with the elevating food concentration, 1PS morphotype reproduced more 2PS offsprings, suggesting that high energy input might be helpful to grow more posterolateral spines. However, in response to the increasing food concentration, 0PS rotifers produced more 1PS offsprings. The underlying mechanisms required further investigations. The posterolateral spine length of offsprings of 0PS K. quadrata was significantly longer than those of 2PS and 1PS rotifer parents at the four food concentrations, which probably help the offsprings of 0PS rotifer parents to survive in natural environments, since long and more posterolateral spines offer rotifers high ability to compete with other rotifers and cladocerans for food or to resist predators.