Importance of fungi in the diet of Gammarus pulex and Asellus aquaticus |
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Authors: | M A S Graça L Maltby P Calow |
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Institution: | (1) Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Coimbra, 3049 Coimbra Codex, Portugal;(2) Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN Sheffield, UK |
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Abstract: | An important component of the interaction between macroinvertebrates and leaf litter in streams in the extent to which consumers
can differentiate between undecomposed and decomposing leaves. The detritivores Gammarus pulex and Asellus aquaticus fed preferentially on conditioned rather on unconditioned leaf material. Growth in A. aquaticus was significantly reduced when unconditioned leaves were provided, but in G. pulex no significant effect of conditioning on growth was observed. The capacity of G. pulex to tolerate reductions in food quality seems to be a consequence of a compensatory system in which respiration rates change
to compensate for reductions in food quality. In this way a constant growth rate is maintained. Increases in ingestion rates
to compensate for low quality food were not observed. |
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Keywords: | Food quality Growth Energy budgets Gammarus pulex Asellus aquaticus |
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