Reduction of the filtration rate of Daphnia galeata by dissolved photosynthetic products of edible phytoplankton

The filtration rate of Daphnia galeata was determined in in situ experiments in Bautzen Reservoir and in laboratory experiments, where daphnids were exposed to filtrates that previously contained either natural phytoplankton or cultured eukaryotic algae (Scenedesmus obliquus or Asterionella formosa), respectively. Individual filtration rate (FR) was measured using fluorescent beads, taking into account ingested beads in the gut only. Compared to heated control treatments (100 °C), dissolved compounds released by the nutritious cultured algae during the preconditioning phase or by the natural phytoplankton assemblages from Bautzen Reservoir strongly reduced the filtration rate of D. galeata (down to 60%). Heating deactivated these dissolved compounds. A significant correlation was found between primary production measured in situ and the reduction of FR in the filtrate of reservoir water, indicating that extra-cellular products released during photosynthesis triggered the reduction of the filtration rate. The ratio of ingested to collected beads was used to quantify the proportion of food, which was not only collected but passed the mouth of D. galeata. The ratio of ingestion to collection was compared between filtered and unfiltered reservoir water both media identical with respect to the concentration of dissolved compounds, whereas other factors (e.g. food concentration, temperature, filtration rate) were different. The changes in this ratio between filtered and unfiltered reservoir water suggest that D. galeata is capable of a chemosensory control of the ingestion behaviour by detecting external metabolites.