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Invertebrate predation on planktonic rotifers

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Abstract

Representatives from many taxa including the Protozoa, Cnidaria, Rotifera, Cladocera, Cyclopoida, Calanoida, Harpacticoida, Chaoboridae, and Mysidacea are reported to feed on rotifers. There are few good quantitative data on predation on rotifers by any of these taxa with two exceptions, Rotifera and Cyclopoida. The present review focuses on the dynamics of Cyclopoid copepod predation. Intense and selective cyclopoid copepod predation makes it an important factor to consider in studies of the population ecology and community structure of rotifer populations. Limited information available on other predatory invertebrate taxa suggests that rotifer production may contribute extensively to their diets.

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  1. Department of Biology, Lehigh University, 18015, Bethlehem, PA, U.S.A.

    Craig E. Williamson

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Williamson, C.E. Invertebrate predation on planktonic rotifers. Hydrobiologia 104, 385–396 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045996

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