Estimating cladoceran birth rate: use of the egg age distribution to estimate mortality of ovigerous females and eggs

The birth rate of natural cladoceran populations can change rapidly (during 2–3 days), reflecting rapid changes in their environment. If the egg ratio is calculated on the basis of egg age distribution, the birth rate can be estimated at short sampling intervals (shorter than egg stage duration) by modified Paloheimo's (1974) formula. When female size structure and age of eggs in clutches at the beginning and the end of a sampling interval are known, death rates of ovigerous females and eggs in separate size classes can be determined and incorporated in birth rate estimates. All these methods have been employed using the data on the population of Diaphanosoma brahyurum from the lake Obsterno (North-Western Belarus) in July–August, 1992. The birth rate values computed by the proposed methods and Poloheimo's formula differed significantly in many cases. The accuracy of birth rate estimations from various calculation methods was tested using a computer simulation. The model contains the essential features of cladoceran life history: distinct egg, juvenile and adult stages, development of eggs and reproduction. The population was divided into 25 age classes, each of 1 day duration. Durations of the egg, juvenile and adult stages were set at 3, 6 and 20 days, respectively. The embryogenesis was divided into three egg stages, each of 1 day duration. Survivorship was set from 0.2 up to 1.0 for each age class. The survivorship and brood size were changed through each of five time intervals (days) that allowed to simulate an increase or reduction of population density. Fecundity, survivorship and egg stage duration remained constant during each of 5 days that assumed stability of an environment (this does not occur in nature). Nevertheless, the egg ratio, proportion of juveniles and birth rates were variable even under these circumstances. Computer simulations showed that Poloheimo's formula evaluates birth rate with the relative error of 62% and usually overestimates its values. We propose methods to decrease errors of birth rate estimations by 3.5–5.5 times.