Abstract
The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) of the rotifer Ascomorpha ecaudis was found to be a hyperbolic function of food concentration. The threshold food concentration and rmax/2-food concentration determined for this species were significantly lower than values predicted from allometric models. These growth characteristics may be related to the mucus house in which Ascomorpha lives and/or the symbiotic algae living in its body tissues. The maximum rate of population growth recorded (0.71 d−1) was similar to that of other soft-bodied rotifers of similar body mass. These population growth characteristics and the resistance of this species to invertebrate predation should allow it to become a dominant member of freshwater zooplankton communities. However, field observations suggest that it is not. Reasons for this are suggested.
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© 1987 Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht - Printed in the Netherlands
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Stemberger, R.S. (1987). The potential for population growth of Ascomorpha ecaudis . In: May, L., Wallace, R., Herzig, A. (eds) Rotifer Symposium IV. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 42. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4059-8_40
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4059-8_40
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