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The combined effects of temperature and food consumption on body weight, egg production and developmental time in Chaoborus crystallinus De Geer (Diptera: Chaoboridae)

Some new evidence for the adaptive value of vertical migration

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Summary

Chaoborus crystallinus fourth-instar larvae were reared individually at 14°, 17° and 20° C under different food conditions. Daphnia magna of 1.25 mm average length served as prey. The following were measured: amount of prey ingested, larval weight gain, duration of fourth instar, body weight of the adults, and egg number per female. At a given temperature, the body weight, egg-number and developmental rate increased with food consumption. At a given food consumption, higher temperatures caused a decrease in body weight and egg number, and an increase in developmental rate. Gross production efficiencies for fourth-instar larvae were highest at temperatures around 17° C. The results clearly indicate that from an energetic point of view higher temperatures are disadvantageous. In C. crystallinus vertical migration is evidently a way of lowering the temperature to which the animals are exposed and hence optimizing food conversion into biomass and offspring production, especially if prey densities are below the saturation level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICH 3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Postfach 1913, W-5170, Jülich, Federal Republic of Germany

    M. Büns

  2. Lehrstuhl für Biologie V (Ökologie), RWTH Aachen, Worringerweg 1, W-5100, Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. T. Ratte

Authors
  1. M. Büns
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  2. H. T. Ratte
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Büns, M., Ratte, H.T. The combined effects of temperature and food consumption on body weight, egg production and developmental time in Chaoborus crystallinus De Geer (Diptera: Chaoboridae). Oecologia 88, 470–476 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317708

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317708

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