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Decline of Clear-Water Rotifer Populations in a Reservoir: The Role of Resource Limitation

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Abstract

The relative importance of and changes in resource limitation of herbivorous rotifers were assessed during the clear-water phase in the Rímov Reservoir, Czech Republic, using in situ manipulative experiments. Resource limitation was tested experimentally as the difference in population growth rate (Δr) among various experimental treatments on four occasions. The reservoir community of rotifers was exposed to three treatments: (i) control, (ii) diluted and (iii) diluted and fertilized. Significant responses to these experimental manipulations were shown by Synchaeta spp., Polyarthra spp. and Keratella cochlearis. Growth rate was usually highest during the spring rotifer maximum and decreased during the clear water phase. The highest intensity of food limitation (expressed as ‚Chlorophyll-a’ limitation) was found in Synchaeta spp. K. cochlearis had low food limitation during the spring peak, high food limitation during the second experiment and low food limitation, again, during the later experiment. In contrast, Polyarthra spp. had the same Chlorophyll-a limitation throughout the whole experimental period. Linear regression was used to estimate the relative proportion of Δr variability explained by Chlorophyll-a concentration and rotifer density in all of the experiments. Chlorophyll-a concentration explained 89, 97 and 92% of the resource limitation in Synchaeta spp., Polyarthra spp. and K. cochlearis, respectively. The proportion of variability explained by rotifer density-dependent factors was lower: 60% for Synchaeta spp. and 68 % for Polyarthra spp.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na sádkách 7, 370 05, Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic

    Miloslav Devetter

  2. Hydrobiological Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na sádkách 7, 370 05, Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic

    Jaromír Sed’a

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  1. Miloslav Devetter
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  2. Jaromír Sed’a
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Correspondence to Miloslav Devetter.

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Devetter, M., Sed’a, J. Decline of Clear-Water Rotifer Populations in a Reservoir: The Role of Resource Limitation. Hydrobiologia 546, 509–518 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-4294-z

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