高原鼠兔在不同植被覆盖的立地占据、局部灭绝和建群率研究

青藏高原的草地生态系统被野生动物和家畜广泛地利用。大型有蹄类动物的放牧和小型哺乳类动物的挖掘行为,会改变其栖息地的植物群落。基于拉萨市墨竹工卡县日多镇年村牦牛(Bos grunniens)放牧的实践,我们发现高原鼠兔(Ochotona curzoniae)立地占域率、建群和区域灭绝率与栖息地变量之间存在一定的格局关系。为了了解高原鼠兔立地占域率、建群和区域灭绝率与栖息地之间的关系,我们采用多季节性立地占据模型,利用Presence软件对相关数据进行分析。结果表明,高原鼠兔局部灭绝率与植被覆盖度之间存在正相关性,而与建群率之间则呈负相关性。     

Impact of turbulence and turbidity on the grazing rate of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas)

The impact of turbulence and turbidity on Brachionus calyciflorus grazing rate was determined in short feeding periods (10 min), using labelled Chlorella pyrenoïdosa. The response to water motion of B. calyciflorus depends on it physiological state: the grazing rate of recently fed amictic females stomach green (with one or two eggs) is significantly reduced in agitated environments compared with non-agitated environments. In contrast, the grazing rate of starved amictic females is not reduced by water motion, whatever its velocity (V1=0.18 m s?1 and V2=0.22 m s?1). In the presence of suspended particles (3–6-μm silica beads), a larger reduction in grazing rate is observed in agitated water at any water velocity (V1=0.18 m s?1 or V2=0.22 m s?1), than in stagnant water. A synergy between turbulence and turbidity is unfavourable to feeding of rotifers.     

不同放牧率对大针茅种群结构的影响

 采用连续放牧的方式研究了不同放牧率对大针茅(Stipa grandis)种群结构的影响。研究结果表明：在一定放牧率范围内,单丛分蘖密度随着放牧率的增加而增加,超过这个范围,单丛分蘖密度下降;单位面积生殖枝数、结实数和种子重随放牧率的增加而下降,种子千粒重在轻度和中度放牧率下最大;不同年龄株丛的分蘖密度存在很大差异,老龄株丛的分蘖密度最大,其次是成年株丛,幼龄株丛最小;轻度和中度放牧率能够刺激成年和老龄株丛分蘖,增加其单丛分蘖密度;老龄株丛在种群的有性生殖中占有重要地位,其生殖枝数目高于成年株丛。     

Can grazing sheep compensate for a daily foraging time constraint?

1. Theoretical studies of large herbivore foraging assume that total daily grazing time is a key constraint on daily intake and diet choice. We experimentally tested this assumption and investigated the effects of food availability on the ability of grazing sheep to compensate for restriction of available daily grazing time.
2. Foraging behaviour, intake and diet digestibility by sheep, were measured on grass pastures in a replicated 2 × 2 factorial experiment, in which overnight access to pasture was varied (restricted overnight and continuous access) on two sward heights (5·5 and 3·0 cm), representing high and low food availability.
3. Regardless of food availability, the overnight-restricted sheep fed for almost all of the available grazing time by grazing for fewer, longer foraging bouts, but still had much shorter total daily grazing time than the continuous access sheep.
4. In response to overnight penning, the sheep had a significantly higher instantaneous rate of intake achieved mainly via larger bites. The continuous access sheep were hence not maximizing their short-term rate of intake, whilst grazing according to the daily schedule considered normal for sheep.
5. The behavioural responses to overnight food restriction were able to counteract the reduction in daily grazing time only where food availability was high. In contrast on short swards overnight grazing restriction led to a reduction in total daily intake. We suggest that the interactions between the factors considered as constraints on foraging behaviour of herbivores are, as yet, only poorly quantified.     

不同利用方式和载畜率对内蒙古典型草原群落初级生产力和植物补偿性生长的影响

基于2005年6月开始的放牧控制实验, 研究了不同草地利用方式和放牧强度对内蒙古典型羊草(Leymus chinensis)草原群落初级生产力和补偿性生长的影响。草地利用方式包括: 传统放牧、传统割草和放牧与割草轮换利用(混合利用)。结果表明: 传统放牧和混合利用方式下, 羊草群落地上生物量均随放牧强度增加逐渐降低。高载畜率下, 羊草群落地上净初级生产力表现为: 混合利用>传统割草>传统放牧, 说明混合利用方式优于传统放牧和传统割草利用方式; 而低载畜率则有利于草原的可持续利用和植物的补偿性生长。这一实验结果在一定程度上验证了放牧优化假说。在不同利用方式、地形因素的影响和采用不同的群落净生长量计算方法时, 随着放牧强度的变化, 等补偿、超补偿和欠补偿效应都可能出现。在低载畜率下, 群落大多表现出等补偿生长, 在高载畜率下, 群落大多表现出欠补偿生长。植物群落的补偿性生长与载畜率的关系可以用开口向下的二次函数或者斜率为负的线性函数模拟。说明随着载畜率的增加, 一些系统表现为欠补偿生长, 而另一些系统则表现为超补偿生长, 这可能与植物群落组成、地形部位(平地、坡地)和载畜率以及净生长量的计算方法有关。     

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Grasslands being used in sheep farming systems are managed under a variety of agricultural production, recreational and conservational objectives. Although sheep grazing is rarely considered the best method for delivering conservation objectives in seminatural temperate grasslands, the literature does not provide unequivocal evidence on the impact of sheep grazing on pasture biodiversity. Our aim was therefore to review evidence of the impacts of stocking rate, grazing period and soil fertility on plant communities and arthropod populations in both mesotrophic grasslands typical of agriculturally improved areas and in native plant communities. We therefore conducted a literature search of articles published up to the end of the year 2010 using ‘sheep’ and ‘grazing’ as keywords, together with variables describing grassland management, plant community structure or arthropod taxa. The filtering process led to the selection of 48 articles, with 42 included in the stocking rate dataset, 9 in the grazing period dataset and 10 in the soil fertility dataset. The meta-analysis did not reveal any significant trends for plant species richness or plant community evenness along a wide stocking rate gradient. However, we found frequent shifts in functional groups or plant species abundance that could be explained by the functional properties of the plants in the community. The meta-analysis confirmed that increasing soil fertility decreased plant species richness. Despite the very limited dataset, plant species richness was significantly greater in autumn-grazed pastures than in ungrazed areas, which suggests that choosing an appropriate grazing period would be a promising option for preserving biodiversity in sheep farming systems. Qualitative review indicated that low grazing intensity had positive effects on Orthoptera, Hemiptera (especially phytophagous Auchenorrhyncha) and, despite a diverse range of feeding strategies, for the species richness of Coleoptera. Lepidoptera, which were favoured by more abundant flowering plants, also benefited from low grazing intensities. Spider abundance and species richness were higher in ungrazed than in grazed pastures. In contrast, there are insufficient published studies to draw any firm conclusions on the benefits of late grazing or stopping fertilization on insect diversity, and no grounds for including any of this information in decision support tools at this stage.     

Effects of grazing intensity on plant richness and diversity: a meta‐analysis

Most of our knowledge of the effect of grazing on grassland structure is based on grazed–ungrazed contrasts. The effects of grazing in the most common scenario, where grazing intensity varies from low to high grazing intensity, are less known. The objectives of this paper were to 1) quantify the effect of stocking rates on species richness and diversity of grasslands world‐wide, and 2) evaluate the response under different environmental and experimental conditions. We conducted a meta‐analysis of experiments with at least two levels of controlled stocking rates and evaluated their effect on species richness and diversity. The results showed that the response of richness and diversity to either reducing or increasing stocking rate from a moderate level mostly fell within the range  25% or  5 species. Mean response of species richness and diversity to increasing stocking rate from moderate to high levels was negative. Mean response to lowering stocking rate from moderate levels was not different from zero. However, overall, species richness significantly decreased as stocking rate increased. The response of richness and diversity to stocking rate was not related to mean precipitation, productivity or aridity. However, the most negative responses of richness to stocking rate were larger in arid, low productivity systems than in subhumid and humid systems. The effects of grazing on richness and diversity found in this review were smaller than the effects on species composition shown by the literature. Thus, grazing drastically changes species composition, but the net change of species and diversity is much smaller.     

黄土高原封禁林地藓结皮呼吸速率对放牧踩踏干扰强度的响应

放牧踩踏造成的土壤属性变化是引起土壤呼吸速率和碳固排波动的重要原因,但目前有关不同强度放牧踩踏对生物结皮呼吸的影响尚不明确。本研究针对黄土高原风沙土发育的藓结皮,以未干扰为对照,分别进行强度为10%、30%、50%和70%的模拟放牧踩踏干扰,连续测定了藓结皮呼吸速率的变化,分析了藓结皮呼吸速率对不同干扰强度的响应规律。结果表明: 1)适度干扰会激发藓结皮呼吸速率,而重度干扰则会抑制其呼吸速率。与未干扰相比,干扰10%和30%的藓结皮呼吸速率分别增加了41.1%和22.2%,而干扰50%和70%的藓结皮呼吸速率则分别降低了8.9%和15.3%。2)踩踏干扰显著改变了土壤温度,但对土壤含水量的影响不显著。与未干扰相比,干扰10%和30%的土壤温度分别显著降低了0.4和1.2 ℃,干扰50%和70%则分别显著增加了1.1和1.0 ℃。3)不同干扰强度下藓结皮呼吸速率与土壤温度和含水量分别呈显著指数和线性正相关关系,但与藓结皮基本特性无显著相关关系,土壤温度和水分可分别解释藓结皮呼吸速率动态变化的70.6%～96.3%和49.1%～70.0%。综上,放牧踩踏显著影响了藓结皮呼吸速率,短期适度放牧踩踏会激发藓结皮呼吸速率,而过度放牧踩踏则会抑制其呼吸速率。因此,在未来黄土高原地区土壤碳收支平衡研究中应考虑不同强度放牧踩踏对生物结皮呼吸的影响。     

Deer grazing changes seed traits and functions of grazing-intolerant plants

Grazing by ungulates can affect seed production in plants, and consequently seed recruitment into seed banks, which is a plant strategy to increase their resilience. The impact of grazing on seed quantity has been well studied; however, the impact of grazing on seed quality has received less attention, despite its role in determining the longevity of a seed bank. Here, we examined the impact of ungulate grazing on seed quality in plants, using two grazing-intolerant grassland species (Hemerocallis dumortieri var. esculenta and Geranium yesoense var. nipponicum). We found that grazing reduced seed length and weight, while increasing the germination rate. These changes in seed quality induced by grazing could reduce the persistence of seed banks and would thus seem to be an important mechanism involved in the impact of ungulate grazing on plant population dynamics.     

东海春季水华期浮游植物生长与微型浮游动物摄食

2005年4～6月在东海有害水华频发区14个站位采样,通过现场稀释法实验对春季东海水域浮游植物比生长率和微型浮游动物比摄食率进行了研究.结果表明东海有害水华频发区浮游植物群落以甲藻为优势.浮游植物比生长率在水华爆发前相对较低,平均为1.18 d~(-1);进入水华期后比生长率明显升高,但在水华站位随现存量增加而降低;非水华区比生长率近岸高、远岸低.微型浮游动物主要以急游虫和桡足类幼体为主,而种类上以砂壳纤毛虫居多.微型浮游动物比摄食率在水华爆发前波动较大,介于0.53～1.73 d~(-1),平均为0.90 d~(-1);在水华区比摄食率较为稳定,浮游植物比生长率的降低导致群落净生长率持续下降;在非水华区,比摄食率整体较高,近岸低而远岸高.微型浮游动物的摄食对浮游植物群落的生长有一定的控制作用,但在水华爆发后这种控制作用将减弱.     

Grazing without grasses: Effects of introduced livestock on plant community composition in an arid environment in northern Patagonia

Question: How does grazing intensity affect plant density, cover and species richness in an Patagonian arid ecosystem? Location: Monte steppe ecoregion, SW Argentina. Methods: I analysed the effect of grazing on plant density, cover and species richness using a stocking rate gradient within the same habitat. Six paddocks were used with stocking rates ranging between 0.002 – 0.038 livestock/ha. Plant density, species richness, plant cover and percentage of grazed branches were determined by sampling plots within each paddock. The percentage of grazed branches was used as an independent measurement of grazing intensity. Results: Higher stocking rates were related to lower plant density, species richness and plant cover. The paddock with the lowest grazing intensity had 86% more plants per unit area, 63% more plant cover and 48% higher species richness. The percentage of grazed branches and the quantity of dung increased with stocking rate. Conclusions: Introduced livestock seriously affect native vegetation in the Patagonian Monte. The damage observed in this xerophytic plant community suggests that plant adaptations to aridity do not provide an advantage to tolerate or avoid grazing by vertebrate herbivores in this region. Plant degradation in this arid environment is comparable to the degradation found in more humid ecosystems.     

Alterations in the biomass-specific productivity of periphyton assemblages mediated by fish grazing

1. In an experimental flume, we examined the effects of a biomass reduction and alteration of taxonomic composition, because of grazing by the fish Plecoglossus altivelis, on the net biomass accumulation of periphyton. 2. Grazed and ungrazed assemblages with different biomass and taxonomic composition were first prepared in fish enclosures and exclosures, respectively. These assemblages were then set out in the flume and incubated for 2 days under grazing‐free conditions to examine (i) the relationship between biomass and biomass accumulation rate and (ii) the effect of taxonomic composition on the relationship between these two. 3. The grazed and ungrazed assemblages were dominated by upright filamentous cyanobacteria and diatoms, respectively. The rate of biomass accumulation decreased with increasing periphyton biomass in both the grazed and ungrazed assemblages, and was lower in the grazed than the ungrazed assemblages at any biomass level. 4. The results showed that the reduction in biomass and the alteration of taxonomic composition due to fish grazing have opposite effects on biomass‐specific productivity. Biomass accumulation rate increased in response to biomass reduction, although a shift in dominance from diatoms to upright filamentous cyanobacteria decreased the overall productivity of the periphyton.     

祁连山高寒草原主要植物种群格局对冬季放牧的响应

以肃南裕固族自治县鹿场冬季牧场为研究对象,采用偏离系数及t检验方法结合Ripley''s K函数及蒙特卡罗随机模拟对紫花针茅种群与醉马草种群进行格局分析,进一步采用计盒维数与信息维数对紫花针茅种群与醉马草种群进行分形分析,揭示在放牧系统中优势植物的种群变化。格局分析结果表明：牧场植物的种群格局出现5种变化规律。紫花针茅种群的偏离系数在放牧率3.64 AUM/hm²时^#,出现最小值。醉马草种群的偏离系数在放牧率4.16AUM/hm²时,出现最大值。在0-1 m的研究尺度内,紫花针茅种群与醉马草种群的Ripley''s K函数结果均在蒙特卡洛随机模拟区间内,呈随机分布格局。分形分析结果表明：伴随放牧率增大,紫花针茅种群的计盒维数区间为[1.596,1.962],醉马草种群的计盒维数区间为[1.831,1.945];紫花针茅种群的信息维数区间为[1.590,1.899],醉马草种群的信息维数区间为[1.633,1.913]。在放牧率4.34 AUM/hm²时,紫花针茅种群与醉马草种群空间占据差值达到最大,信息维数相对较低,种群分布相对均匀,格局变化相对缓慢,经济效益与生态效益相平衡,最适合管理牧场。     

内蒙古典型草原退化机理的研究

在内蒙古冷蒿小禾草退化草原上,经过６年围栏定量的放牧,分别对９种主要植物种群的形态学特征对放牧的响应进行了研究．结果表明,不同生活型和营养繁殖方式的牧草对放牧率的响应策略是不同的,从而构成了不同放牧率下群落演替的基础．匍匐以不定根行营养繁殖生长或分蘖性强的种群是较适应于重牧的,如冷蒿（Ａｒｔｅｍｉｓｉａｆｒｉｇｉｄａ）和星毛委陵菜（Ｐｏｔｅｎｔｉｌａａｕｃｕｌｉｓ）;以根茎和分蘖行营养繁殖的羊草（Ｌｅｙｍｕｓｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｅ）和冰草（Ａｇｒｏｐｙｒｏｎｃｒｉｓｔａｔｕｍ）及丛生禾草克氏针茅（Ｓｔｉｐａｋｒｙｌｏｖｉ）属宜轻牧植物;以根茎和分蘖行营养繁殖的寸草苔（Ｃａｒｅｘｄｕｒｉｕｓｃｕｌａ）和小丛生禾草糙隐子草（Ｃｌｅｉｓｔｏｇｅｎｅｓｓｑｕａｒｒｏｓａ）属宜中牧植物;而以分枝行营养繁殖的扁蓿豆（Ｍｅｌｉｓｉｔｕｓｒｕｔｈｅｎｉｃａ）和木地肤（Ｋｏｃｈｉａｐｒｏｓｔａｔａ）则宜轻牧．随着放牧率的增大,群落发生明显的变化,小禾草的比例逐渐减少,冷蒿小禾草退化草原最终进一步趋同于星毛委陵菜退化草原;而轻牧可以维持草原现状或使其发生恢复演替,禾草比例增加,即可达到利用式改良的目的     

Chorioptic Mange (Acarina: Psoroptidae) in Domestic and Wild Ruminants in Israel

In a 20-year-survey, 9364 dairy cattle in 324 herds kept under a zero-grazing management, 1252 beef cattle in 46 herds grazing all the year round, 3347 sheep in 134 herds (only 26 are grazing herds), and 872 goats in 47 herds (only 20 are grazing) were examined. The mites collected from cattle were identified as Chorioptes texanus only, and those from sheep, goats and gazelles were identified as C. bovis. Chorioptic mange was not diagnozed in grazing beef cattle, ibexes and housed animals (as compared to grazing herds), and in rams and billy goats. Holstein-Israeli bulls kept in insemination centres were not clinically infested, whereas four Charolais bulls were infested with chorioptic mange. Infestation rate was higher in older animals than in younger ones. Hoggets and young goats over 10 months and heifers over 13 months were found clinically infested with Choriopic mites. Lesions were not usually extensive and occurred mainly in predilection sites. The ocular form in sheep and the groin form in goats are very uncommon and apparently are reported for the first time. Chorioptic mange was recorded generally throughout the year. In our study seasonal distribution could not be demonstrated in cattle, while in sheep and goats the highest infestation rate occurred in February to March and the lowest in August and September.     

A comparison of two rotational stocking strategies on the foraging behaviour and herbage intake by grazing sheep

An understanding of the processes involved in grazing behaviour is a prerequisite for the design of efficient grassland management systems. The purpose of managing the grazing process is to identify sward structures that can maximize animal forage daily intake and optimize grazing time. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of different grazing management strategies on foraging behaviour and herbage intake by sheep grazing Italian ryegrass under rotational stocking. The experiment was carried out in 2015 in southern Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with two grazing management strategies and four replicates. The grazing management treatments were a traditional rotational stocking (RT), with pre- and post-grazing sward heights of 25 and 5 cm, respectively, and a ‘Rotatinuous’ stocking (RN) with pre- and post-grazing sward heights of 18 and 11 cm, respectively. Male sheep with an average live weight of 32 ± 2.3 kg were used. As intended, the pre- and post-grazing sward heights were according to the treatments. The pre-grazing leaf/stem ratio of the Italian ryegrass pasture did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05) (~2.87), but the post-grazing leaf/stem ratio was greater (P < 0.001) in the RN than in the RT treatment (1.59 and 0.76, respectively). The percentage of the non-grazed area was greater (P < 0.01) in post-grazing for RN compared with RT treatment, with an average of 29.7% and 3.49%, respectively. Herbage nutritive value was greater for the RN than for the RT treatment, with greater CP and lower ADF and NDF contents. The total time spent grazing, ruminating and resting did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05), with averages of 439, 167 and 85 min, respectively. The bite rate, feeding stations per min and steps per min by sheep were greater (P < 0.05) in the RN than in the RT treatment. The grazing time per hour and the bite rate were greater (P < 0.05) in the afternoon than in the morning in both treatments. The daily herbage intake by sheep grazing Italian ryegrass was greater (P < 0.05) in the RN than in the RT treatment (843.7 and 707.8 g organic matter/sheep, respectively). Our study supports the idea that even though the grazing time was not affected by the grazing management strategies when the animal behaviour responses drive management targets, such as in ‘Rotatinuous’ stocking, the sheep herbage intake is maximized, and the grazing time is optimized.     

夏季胶州湾微型浮游动物摄食初步研究

2002年6月至7月间对胶州湾内、外和港口3个典型站位进行了微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食研究．按陆基半现场方式进行了4次稀释法实验,对湾外相同的站位进行了两次实验,对湾内和港口各进行了一次实验,获取了研究站位浮游植物和微型浮游动物种类、丰度、体积转换浮游植物碳含量、碳／叶绿素比率、浮游植物净生长率、微型浮游动物摄食率、对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力、对浮游植物现存量的摄食压力以及碳摄食通量等参数．湾外和湾内站位的浮游植物组成相似,优势种为新月柱鞘藻(Cylindrotheca closterium)和中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum),港口浮游植物优势种类为中肋骨条藻、浮动湾角藻(Eucampia zodiacus)和旋链角毛藻(Chaetoceros curvisetus)．湾外微型浮游动物的优势种为百乐拟铃虫(Tintinnopsis beroidea),而在湾内为百乐拟铃虫和急游虫(Strombidium sp．),港口主要为急游虫,也有少数的百乐拟铃虫．微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率和对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力,在湾内最高,其次在湾外,港口最低．微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率,在湾外,分别为0．96和1．20d^-1,在湾内为1．33d^-1,在港口为0．36d^-1．微型浮游动物对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力,在湾外,分别为74％和84％,在湾内为93％,在港口为53％．微型浮游动物的碳摄食通量在港口最高达到281mgC·m^-3·d^-1,在湾内为102mgC·m^-3·d^-1,在湾外最低范围在31～49mgC·m^-3·d^-1．浮游植物的细胞大小和两种微型浮游动物的摄食习性的不同是造成研究站位微型浮游动物摄食率和摄食压力不同的主要原因．同世界其它内湾相比,胶州湾微型浮游动物的摄食压力处于中等水平。     

Tradeoff between height and relative growth rate in a dominant grass from the Serengeti ecosystem

We determined the relationship between plant height and whole-plant relative growth rate (g g^-1 day^-1) for ten genotypes of Sporobolus kentrophyllus collected from an intensively grazed site on the Serengeti Plains, Tanzania. Plants were grown for 7 weeks in a greenhouse in Syracuse, N.Y., and harvested weekly. Plants that received simulated bovine urine showed a negative relationship between plant height and growth rate, suggesting a genetic tradeoff between competitive ability if ungrazed (height) and ability to recover from grazing (growth rate). There was no height-growth rate relationship under nitrogen addition rates similar to field mineralization rates. In addition, faster-growing, shorter plants tended to have relatively higher above-ground growth rates than slower-growing, taller plants. These results suggest that natural selection has maintained a gradient of morphologies within this species ranging from short, rapidly growing genotypes adapted to intense grazing conditions to tall, slow-growing, grazer-susceptible genotypes that are superior light competitors in absence of herbivory.     

Application of the size-fractionation method to simultaneous estimation of clearance rates by heterotrophic flagellates and ciliates of pico- and nanophytoplankton

To estimate the clearance rates of pico- and nanophytoplankton by heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and ciliates, the size-fractionation method was employed in combination with a multiple regression analysis. Apparent growth rate of a specific phytoplankton group was decomposed into three terms, net growth rate, grazing rates by HNF and those by ciliates, and the grazing rates were interpreted as a linear function of average cell concentrations of HNF and ciliates. We produced a set of subsamples from a water sample by size-fractionation using three different pore sizes. By measuring phytoplankton and protozoan cell concentrations, apparent growth rate of a specific phytoplankton group was regressed against the average cell concentrations of HNF and ciliates to obtain the net growth rate of the phytoplankton group and the average clearance rates by these two protozoan groups. The estimated values were within the range of those previously reported for cultured and natural protozoan, which supported the feasibility of the present method. The estimated values also suggested that picophytoplankton abundance in Otsuchi Bay in spring is controlled mainly by HNF through active grazing. The present study rediscovered the utility of the size-fractionation method as a method to estimate the clearance rates of different protozoan groups from natural assemblages in a single experiment.     

The effect of different zooplankton grazing patterns resulting from diel vertical migration on phytoplankton growth and composition: a laboratory experiment

Diel vertical migration (DVM) of herbivorous zooplankton is a widespread behavioural phenomenon in freshwater ecosystems. So far only little attention has been paid to the impact of DVM on the phytoplankton community in the epilimnion. Some theoretical models predict that algal population growth in the epilimnion should depend on the herbivores migration and grazing patterns: even if migrating zooplankton consume the same total amount of algae per day in the epilimnion as non-migrating zooplankton, nocturnal grazing should result in enhanced algal growth and favour algal species with high intrinsic growth rates over species with lower intrinsic growth rates. To test these hypotheses we performed experiments in which several algal species were confronted with different feeding regimes of Daphnia. In the experiments algal growth did not only depend on the absolute time of grazing but was comparatively higher when grazing took place only during the night, even when the grazing pressure was the same. Furthermore, algal species with higher intrinsic growth rates had higher advantages when being grazed upon only discontinuously during the night than algal species with a smaller intrinsic growth rate. The grazing pattern itself was an important factor for relative algal performance.