Population Growth of Six Iranian Brachionus Rotifer Strains in Response to Salinity and Food Type

• Published in: International review of hydrobiology. 2010-12, Vol.95 (6), p.461-470
• Main Authors: Malekzadeh Viayeh, Reza, Mohammadi, Habib, Shafiei, Abbas Banj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: algae; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Brachionus; Brachionus plicatilis; Brachionus urceolaris; Chlorella; Chlorella vulgaris; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Invertebrates; Less representative or incertae sedis groups: acanthocephala, chaetognatha, gnathostomulida, lophophoria, merostomata, mesozoa, myxozoa, nematorhyncha, pararthropoda, placozoa, priapuloidea, prochordata, pycnogonida, rotifera; Marine; Nannochloropsis; Nannochloropsis oculata; rotifer; Rotifera; Synecology
• ISSN: 1434-2944; 1522-2632; 1522-2632
• DOI: 10.1002/iroh.201011263

Intrinsic rates of population increase (r) were evaluated as a measure of population dynamics of four strains of Brachionus plicatilis and two strains of B. urceolaris from Iran in response to different salinities and feeding algae. Each rotifer strain was cultured at four salinities: 5, 20, 25 and 30‰ and fed with two microalgal species: Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochloropsis oculata. Salinity of 5‰ was critical for all the examined strains, at which r was at minimum and was different from the other salinities (P < 0.05). For B. plicatilis strains, the maximum r was observed in those fed on Chlorella at salinities of 10 and 30‰ (64 ± 0.01 day−1). While, in B. urceolaris, maximum r was for Nannochloropsis fed rotifers at salinity of 20‰ (0.69 ± 0.01 day−1). Maximum final population density (FD) was obtained for a strain of B. urceolaris fed on Nannochloropsis at 20‰ (329.3 ± 10.9 ind.mL−1). FD was relatively lower in B. plicatilis strains among all examined salinities. ANOVA showed the significant effect of salinity and rotifer strain, and algae × rotifer strain on both r and FD, and salinity × rotifer × algae on FD (P < 0.05). (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)