Microcosm experimental evidence that habitat orientation affects phytoplankton-zooplankton dynamics
Abstract Although spatial ecology has achieved a great success in the passing decades, the importance of habitat orientation has not been well studied, especially for its effects on prey-predator dynamics. Here, we examined the responses of zooplankton activity and grazing rate to habitat orientatio...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
Nature Portfolio
2017
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/d3d871706cdb4ddc918fb13b20cf5605 |
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| Sumario: | Abstract Although spatial ecology has achieved a great success in the passing decades, the importance of habitat orientation has not been well studied, especially for its effects on prey-predator dynamics. Here, we examined the responses of zooplankton activity and grazing rate to habitat orientation and their consequences on the stability of phytoplankton-zooplankton system in a two-factor factorial experiment involving habitat orientation (three levels; small, medium, and large base area, respectively) and habitat size (64 ml and 512 ml) using two algal-grazer systems (Chlorella pyrenoidosa-Daphnia magna and C. pyrenoidosa- Moina micrura). In both systems, grazer density increased with increasing base area for a given chamber volume and with increasing chamber volume for a given orientation in the first 6 days, followed by a dramatic decrease, which corresponded to increasing the amplitude of density fluctuations in both zooplankton and phytoplankton species. Such an algal-grazer dynamics could be accounted for by the greater average swimming ability and grazing rate observed in large-based and large-volumed chambers. Our results demonstrate that habitat orientation affects the zooplankton behavior and population dynamics of both zooplankton and phytoplankton species, which further influences the stability of phytoplankton-zooplankton systems. |
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