The effect of food on the respiration rates of Daphnia magna using a flow-through system

Respiration rates and gut fluorescence of the cladoceran Daphnia magna were studied using a flow-through system. This open system has the advantage of introducing food or producing a starvation effect during the course of the experiment. Severe variations in respiratory rates were observed in relati...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Schmoker, Claire, Hernandez-Leon, S
Format: article
Publication Date:2003
Country:España
Repository:accedaCRIS portal de investigación de la Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria
OAI Identifier:oai:accedacris.ulpgc.es:10553/1202
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10553/1202
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:251001 Oceanografía biológica
Diel Vertical Migration
Copepod Acartia-Tonsa
Dynamic Action Sda
Egg-Production
Metabolic-Rate
Mesozooplankton
Assimilation
Chlorophyll
Temperature
Zooplankton
Metabolism
Feeding
Description
Summary:Respiration rates and gut fluorescence of the cladoceran Daphnia magna were studied using a flow-through system. This open system has the advantage of introducing food or producing a starvation effect during the course of the experiment. Severe variations in respiratory rates were observed in relation to the presence or absence of food, indicating short-term variability. Organisms kept starved or at low food for a long period (15-20 h) responded to a sudden increase in food by increasing their respiration rates three- to four-fold in parallel with their gut content. A significant relationship between gut fluorescence and respiration rates was observed, suggesting that feeding and the related swimming activity were responsible for the observed metabolic variability.