Hydrobiologia

, Volume 313, Issue 1, pp 205–211 | Cite as

Habitat-specific predation susceptibilities of a littoral rotifer to two invertebrate predators

  • Elizabeth J. Walsh
Article

Abstract

The rotifer Euchlanis dilatata lives associated with submerged vegetation in the littoral zone of freshwater lakes and ponds. I assessed habitat-specific predation susceptibilities for this rotifer in the presence of three aquatic macrophytes (Myriophyllum exalbescens, Elodea canadensis, and Ceratophyllum demersum) and two predators (damselfly nymphs — Enallagma carunculata; and cnidarians — Hydra). Rotifer survival was greatest on Myriophyllum in the presence of both predators. Conversely, the presence of the other macrophyte species actually increase rotifer suspectibility to predation by damselfly nymphs. I also manipulated plant structural complexity. As predicted, decreasing the relative complexity of each plant resulted in lower rotifer survival.

Key words

rotifer predation habitat complexity 
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1996

Authors and Affiliations

  • Elizabeth J. Walsh
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Texas at El PasoEl PasoUSA

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