Factors which affect the abundance of an invasive cladoceran, Daphnia lumholtzi, in U.S. reservoirs

Abstract

1. Daphnia lumholtzi is a subtropical, Old World species which is rapidly spreading throughout reservoirs in the southern U.S.A. It was first recorded in Lake Texoma (Oklahoma–Texas) in September 1991. 2. Southern U.S. reservoirs typically have strong spatial and temporal gradients in temperature, conductivity, turbidity and in the distribution of organisms. Therefore, the present experiments examined the reproductive and moulting rates, and survival of D. lumholtzi in relation to extremes of food concentration, temperature, conductivity and turbidity. 3. Increases in temperature (range = 15–29 °C) and decreases in turbidity (range = 0.6–470 NTU) increased reproductive and moulting rates, whereas food concentration only affected the rate of reproduction, while conductivity had no effects. Survival was affected only by temperature. 4. Daphnia lumholtzi tolerates high temperatures (27–30 °C) at which other cladocerans in Lake Texoma disappear. Therefore, D. lumholtzi may exploit resources in midsummer, when there are few potential competitors.

Statistical quantification of the effect of thermal stratification on patterns of dispersion in a freshwater zooplankton community

“…The mechanism that links vertical heterogeneity in water temperature and zooplankton dispersion may be direct. For crustacean zooplankton rates of individual development, ingestion and assimilation as well as population birth and death rates are highly temperature dependant (Work and Gophen 1999;Hall and Burns 2002;Halsband-Lenk et al 2002). The observed distribution patterns may, therefore, reflect direct behavioural responses of individual zooplankters to vertical gradients in water temperature, resulting in the aggregation of individuals of each species within depth ranges typified by temperatures that are optimal for growth and development (Kessler and Lampert 2004).…”

Composition, size, and biomass of zooplankton in large productive Florida lakes

“…Bosminopsis deitseri is rarely found in temperate lakes and is the one species that might be considered subtropical. D. ambigua is common in the southeast USA (Brooks, 1957), and D. lumholtzii, an invasive species from Australia, occurs in many southeastern states of the USA (Havel & Hebert, 1993;Work & Gophen, 1999). Ilyocryptus, Macrothrix, Pleuroxus, and Sida are typically considered littoral (Dodson, 1992), and their occurrences in the plankton samples from the Kissimmee Chainof-Lakes reflect the prevalence of vascular plants, particularly Hydrilla, in the open water of those lakes (Havens et al, 2000).…”

First record of Daphnia lumholtzi (Sars, 1885), exotic cladoceran, in São Paulo State (Brazil)

“…Temperature is also considered an important factor in this species' survival. Work & Gophen (1999) It is a matter of great concern that, in Brazilian freshwaters, the establishment of an exotic zooplankton species such as D. lumholtzi might drive the extinction of other native daphnids. Efforts must be directed to closely following the interaction between the native and the exotic species.…”