Influence of cyanobacterial diet on Asplanchna predation risk in Brachionus calyciflorus |
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Authors: | Starkweather Peter L Walsh Elizabeth J |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 89154 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.;(2) Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 97331 Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Asplanchna sylvestrii does not discriminate between groups of Brachionus calyciflorus fed either the cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae or a control diet of Euglena gracilis. We based our analysis on the observed probabilities of attack, capture and ingestion during encounters between predator and prey. While A. sylvestrii was very sensitive to brachionid size, we found no significant affects of prey diet on predatory behavior. Thus, cyanobacterial diet did not influence the short-term predation risk of B. calyciflorus exposed to an effective predator. On the other hand, matched cohorts of A. sylvestrii fed B. calyciflorus cultured on the cyanobacterium reproduced more slowly than those fed the same prey cultured on the control food. With prolonged sympatry, therefore, the long-term risk of Asplanchna predation may be reduced for Brachionus by the latter's consumption of cyanobacteria. |
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Keywords: | Anabaena Asplanchna Brachionus rotifer cyanobacteria feeding behavior predator-prey interaction |
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