Abstract
We estimated the seasonal dynamics and life cycle of the chironomid Heterotrissocladius marcidus (Walker, 1856) in three alpine lakes in the High Tatra Mountains (Central Europe). H. marcidus had univoltine cycle in all lakes surveyed and seasonal changes of density showed an early summer and an autumn peak interrupted by a mid-summer decline of larval abundance. Our results indicate that phenology of H. marcidus is sensitive to thermal regime and local differences in lake water temperature can lead to differences of the life history within the same population.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the field assistance provided by Ferdinand Šporka and Milan Novikmec. We are also grateful to Danka Dobríková and Pavol Beracko for their help with the figures. Leonard Ferrington is acknowledged for his notes to the previous version of the manuscript. This study was supported by VEGA 1/0180/12 and VEGA 2/0081/13 as well as by the ERDF projects: Development and application of the innovative diagnostic approach for the molecular identification of animals (ITMS code 26240220049) to SIS, and ITMS code 26210120024 to UMB.
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Goffová, K., Bitušik, P., Čiamporová-Zaťovičová, Z. et al. Seasonal dynamics and life cycle of Heterotrissocladius marcidus (Diptera: Chironomidae) in high altitude lakes (High Tatra Mts, Slovakia). Biologia 70, 943–947 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2015-0103
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2015-0103