Invasibility of a reservoir to exotic Daphnia lumholtzi: experimental assessment of diet selection and life history responses to cyanobacteria

• Published in: Freshwater biology 2003-02, Vol.48 (2), p.233-246
• Main Authors: Pattinson, K. R., Havel, J. E., Rhodes, R. G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anabaena flos-aquae; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Ankistrodesmus; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cladocera; cyanobacteria; Cyanophyta; Daphnia lumholtzi; Daphnia mendotae; Daphnia parvula; diet analysis; food quality; Fresh water ecosystems; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; life table; Oscillatoria; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Synecology
• ISSN: 0046-5070; 1365-2427
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.00987.x

SUMMARY 1. In reservoirs of the south‐central United States, the exotic cladoceran Daphnia lumholtzi is common during warm midsummer conditions, when cyanobacteria are abundant and native Daphnia are rare. In the current study, we employed surveys, field experiments, and a life table experiment to investigate the role of food quality in explaining the distribution and phenology of D. lumholtzi, relative to two native species (Daphnia parvula and Daphnia mendotae). 2. During May–September 2000 in eutrophic McDaniel Lake, Missouri U.S.A., cyanobacteria (primarily Oscillatoria) first appeared at 6‐m depth and then became abundant throughout the epilimnion. 3. During the May field experiment, D. lumholtzi, D. parvula and D. mendotae all consumed a similar diet of algae, showing positive selection for small greens (chlorophytes and cryptophytes