A laboratory method for studying zooplankton swimming behaviors

Buchanan, Claire; Goldberg, Bernard; McCartney, Robert

doi:10.1007/bf00008635

Cited by 19 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Four types of activities were recorded for one randomly chosen grazer following previous studies [ 33 , 34 ]: horizontal swimming, upward swimming (swim vertically upward), downward swimming (swim vertically downward), and quiescent status. Video tapes were reviewed using an image measurement tool (Adobe After Effects CS4).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increases of Chamber Height and Base Diameter Have Contrasting Effects on Grazing Rate of Two Cladoceran Species: Implications for Microcosm Studies

Pan¹,

Zhang²,

Qing-hua³

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

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Aquatic microcosm studies often increase either chamber height or base diameter (to increase water volume) to test spatial ecology theories such as “scale” effects on ecological processes, but it is unclear whether the increase of chamber height or base diameter have the same effect on the processes, i.e., whether the effect of the shape of three-dimensional spaces is significant. We orthogonally manipulated chamber height and base diameter and determined swimming activity, average swimming velocity and grazing rates of the cladocerans Daphnia magna and Moina micrura (on two algae Scenedesmus quadricauda and Chlorella vulgaris; leading to four aquatic algae-cladoceran systems in total) under different microcosm conditions. Across all the four aquatic systems, increasing chamber height at a given base diameter significantly decreased the duration and velocity of horizontal swimming, and it tended to increase the duration but decrease the velocity of vertical swimming. These collectively led to decreases in both average swimming velocity and grazing rate of the cladocerans in the tall chambers (at a given base diameter), in accordance with the positive relationship between average swimming velocity and grazing rate. In contrast, an increase of base diameter at a given chamber height showed contrasting effects on the above parameters. Consistently, at a given chamber volume increasing ratio of chamber height to base diameter decreased the average swimming velocity and grazing rate across all the aquatic systems. In general, increasing chamber depth and base diameter may exert contrasting effects on zooplankton behavior and thus phytoplankton-zooplankton interactions. We suggest that spatial shape plays an important role in determining ecological process and thus should be considered in a theoretical framework of spatial ecology and also the physical setting of aquatic microcosm experiments.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increases of Chamber Height and Base Diameter Have Contrasting Effects on Grazing Rate of Two Cladoceran Species: Implications for Microcosm Studies

Pan¹,

Zhang²,

Qing-hua³

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

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“…The bottom of the bath had a small, circular window through which light intensity was measured during the experiments. Copepods were isolated on one side of a lighttight, temperature-controlled room, away from the light source, and noise and vibrations were kept to a minimum (see Buchanan et al 1982).…”

Section: General Procedures For Light Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Copepod grazing behavior in simulated natural light and its relation to nocturnal feeding

Stearns¹

1986

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

109

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To investigate the role of light in controlling copepod grazlng behavlor, feeding responses of adult female Acartia tonsa Dana were determined under light conditions similar to those in natural, subsurface waters. Measured feeding responses were then related to feeding behavior under similar light conditions in nature. Copepods were adapted to a range of light intensities before being offered food (Thalassiosira weissflogii, 0.5 mm3 1 -l ) . Thirty min later gut contents were measured by gut fluorescence of chlorophyll a and pheopigment a. The grazing index was inversely related to the light intensity at which the copepods were adapted. The most dramatic change in grazing occurred at light levels close to those found in the copepod's natural habitat during twilight. An endogenous nocturnal feeding rhythm was found in a separate experiment. A 96 h field study in the Newport River estuary, North Carolina, USA, revealed a nocturnal feeding pattern in A. tonsa and a negative correlation between feeding and light intensity during daylight hours. No significant correlations were found between copepod feeding and in situ concentrations of chlorophyll a, pheopigment a and combined pigments. These results challenge Gauld's (1953) hypothesis that nocturnal grazing results from nocturnal vertical migration into a food-rich layer; they offer a reasonable explanation of how light may time grazing. Results indicate that migration and feeding may be independent behaviors separately controlled by light cues.

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“…Moreover, food in lab experiments is usually absent and its availability in real lakes, such as a surface or deep chlorophyll maxima, may be another key factor affecting migration amplitude (Dodson et al ; Ringelberg ; Rinke et al ). Tank size, light distribution, temperature, and other features of the environment can also change the swimming behavior and limit the swimming reaction (Buchanan et al ; Dodson et al ). Field studies are needed to confirm whether results from experiments under simplified conditions and numerical models are applicable to biomixing mechanisms in complex natural environments.…”

Section: The Need For Field Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can small zooplankton mix lakes?

Simoncelli

Thackeray

Wain

2017

Limnol Oceanogr Letters

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The idea that living organisms may contribute to turbulence and mixing in lakes and oceans (biomixing) dates to the 1960s, but has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Recent modeling and experimental studies suggest that marine organisms can enhance turbulence as much as winds and tides in oceans, with an impact on mixing. However, other studies show opposite and contradictory results, precluding definitive conclusions regarding the potential importance of biomixing. For lakes, only models and lab studies are available. These generally indicate that small zooplankton or passive bodies generate turbulence but different levels of mixing depending on their abundance. Nevertheless, biogenic mixing is a complex problem, which needs to be explored in the field, to overcome limitations arising from numerical models and lab studies, and without altering the behavior of the animals under study.

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A laboratory method for studying zooplankton swimming behaviors

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

Increases of Chamber Height and Base Diameter Have Contrasting Effects on Grazing Rate of Two Cladoceran Species: Implications for Microcosm Studies

Increases of Chamber Height and Base Diameter Have Contrasting Effects on Grazing Rate of Two Cladoceran Species: Implications for Microcosm Studies

Copepod grazing behavior in simulated natural light and its relation to nocturnal feeding

Can small zooplankton mix lakes?

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