Effect of incubation temperature on the hatching of rotifer resting eggs collected from sediments

Sediment samples from Loch Leven, Scotland, were incubated at 5°C, 10°C and 15°C to induce hatching of rotifer resting eggs. The emergent animals were identified and counted. The temperature which induced hatching varied among the nine species studied. These results are discussed in relation to seasonality and temperature preferences previously recorded for the most abundant species. Resting egg densities of 2.2–13.9 eggs cm^–3 were recorded in the upper 5 cm of sediment.