Abstract
I examined the effects of a graded density of the large-bodied cladoceran Daphnia pulicaria upon a natural rotifer assemblage to assess the relative magnitudes of interference and exploitative competition. An in situ, 5-day, bag-enclosure experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that populations of the rotifers Anuraeopsis spp., Keratella cochlearis ‘typica’ and Polyarthra spp. are differentially suppressed by interference competition. Rotifer density decreases and observed vs. expected mortality rates for all three rotifer taxa were consistent with the hypothesis of suppression via interference competition. Evidence of exploitative effects were also apparent, though interference effects appeared more important at higher cladoceran densities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bums, C. W. & J. J. Gilbert, 1986. Effects of daphnid size and density on interference between Daphnia and Keratella cochlearis. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31: 848–858.
DeMott, W. R., 1989. The role of competition in zooplankton succession. In U. Sommer (ed.), Plankton Ecology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin: 195–252.
Edmondson, T. W., 1965. Reproductive rate of planktonic rotifers as related to food and temperature in nature. Ecol. Monogr. 35: 61–111.
Gerrodette, T., 1987. A power analysis for detecting trends. Ecology 88: 1364–1372.
Gilbert, J. J., 1985. Competition between rotifers and Daphnia. Ecology 66: 1943–1950.
Gilbert, J. J., 1988a. Suppression of rotifer populations by Daphnia: a review of the evidence, the mechanisms, and the effects on zooplankton community structure. Limnol. Oceanogr. 33: 1286–1303.
Gilbert, J. J., 1988b. Susceptibilities of ten rotifer species to interference from Daphnia pulex. Ecology 69: 1826–1838.
Gilbert, J. J., 1985. Escape response of the rotifer Polyarthra: a high-speed cinematographic analysis. Oecologia 66: 322–331.
Gilbert, J. J. & R. S. Stemberger, 1985. Control of Keratella populations by interference competition from Daphnia. Limnol. Oceanogr. 30: 180–188.
Kirk, K. L. & J. J. Gilbert, 1988. Escape behavior of Polyarthra in response to artificial flow stimuli. Bull. mar. Sci. 43: 551–560.
Lampert, W. & K. O. Rothhaupt, 1991. Alternating dynamics of rotifers and Daphnia magna in a shallow lake. Arch. Hydrobiol. 120: 447–456.
MacIsaac, H. J. & J. J. Gilbert, 1989. Competition between rotifers and cladocerans of different body sizes. Oecologia 81: 295–301.
MacIsaac, H. J. & J. J. Gilbert. 1990. Does exploitative or interference competition from Daphnia limit the abundance of keratella in Loch Leven? A reassessment of May and Jones (1989). J. Plankton Res. 12: 1315–1322.
MacIsaac, H. J. & J. J. Gilbert, 1991a. Competition between Keratella cochlearis and Daphnia ambigua: effects of temporal patterns of food availability. Freshwat. Biol. 25: 189–198.
MacIsaac, H. J. & J. J. Gilbert, 1991b. Discrimination between exploitative and interference competition between Cladocera and Keratella cochlearis. Ecology 72: 924–937.
May, L. & D. H. Jones, 1989. Does interference competition from Daphnia affect populations of Keratella cochlearis in Loch Leven, Scotland? J. Plankton Res. 11: 445–461.
Manny, B. A., 1971. Interactions of dissolved and particulate nitrogen in lake metabolism. PhD Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Neill, W. E., 1984. Regulation of rotifer densities by crustacean zooplankton in an oligotrophic montane lake in British Columbia. Oecologia 61: 175–181.
Prepas, E., 1978. Sugar-frosted Daphnia: An improved fixation technique for Cladocera. Limnol. Oceanogr. 23: 557–559.
Schneider, D. W., 1990. Direct assessment of the independent effects of exploitative and interference competition between Daphnia and rotifers. Limnol. Oceanogr. 35: 916–922.
Stemberger, R. S., 1979. A guide to rotifers of the laurentian great lakes. U.S.E.P.A., Cincinnati.
Stemberger, R. S. & J. J. Gilbert, 1985. Body size, food concentration, and population growth in planktonic rotifers. Ecology 66: 1151–1159.
Wetzel, R. G., 1983. Limnology. 2nd edn. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, PA.
Wetzel, R. G. & G. E. Likens, 1991. Limnological Analyses, 2nd edn. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Wickham, S. A. & J. J. Gilbert. 1991. Relative vulnerabilities of natural rotifer and ciliate communities to cladocerans: laboratory and field experiments. Freshwat. Biol. 26: 77–86.
Wilkinson, L., 1990. Systat: the system for statistics. Systat, Inc., Evanston, IL.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fradkin, S.C. Effects of interference and exploitative competition from large-bodied cladocerans on rotifer community structure. Hydrobiologia 313, 387–393 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025975
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025975