Daphnia growth rates in Arctic ponds: limitation by nutrients or carbon?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Daphnia growth rates in Arctic ponds: limitation by nutrients or carbon?

AU - Van Geest, G.J.

AU - Spierenburg, P.

AU - Van Donk, E.

AU - Hessen, D.O.

N1 - Reporting year: 2007 Metis note: 3965;CL; AFW; file:///C:/pdfs/Pdfs2007/VanGeest_ea_3965.pdf

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Arctic organisms with annual life cycles experience a strong selective pressure to fulfill their life cycle at low temperatures within a short seasonal window. Yet, apart from low temperature, the factors that constrain or promote growth rates in high arctic systems are still poorly understood. A substantial part of the freshwater systems in the arctic consist of shallow, fish-free ponds with the crustacean Daphnia as the key grazer. This grazer has high demands for phosphorus (P) for RNA-synthesis and subsequently protein synthesis for growth. In this study, we compared growth of juvenile Daphnia that were fed seston from two high-Arctic (79°N) ponds on Svalbard in 2004, which differed strongly in P-content and C:P-ratios. In both ponds, Daphnia growth was limited by food quantity (carbon) rather than by P or N. The study also suggests that in absence of predators, infection level of epibionts might be an important factor regulating growth rate and population development of Daphnia growth in these systems.

AB - Arctic organisms with annual life cycles experience a strong selective pressure to fulfill their life cycle at low temperatures within a short seasonal window. Yet, apart from low temperature, the factors that constrain or promote growth rates in high arctic systems are still poorly understood. A substantial part of the freshwater systems in the arctic consist of shallow, fish-free ponds with the crustacean Daphnia as the key grazer. This grazer has high demands for phosphorus (P) for RNA-synthesis and subsequently protein synthesis for growth. In this study, we compared growth of juvenile Daphnia that were fed seston from two high-Arctic (79°N) ponds on Svalbard in 2004, which differed strongly in P-content and C:P-ratios. In both ponds, Daphnia growth was limited by food quantity (carbon) rather than by P or N. The study also suggests that in absence of predators, infection level of epibionts might be an important factor regulating growth rate and population development of Daphnia growth in these systems.

U2 - 10.1007/s00300-006-0177-7

DO - 10.1007/s00300-006-0177-7

M3 - Article

SN - 0722-4060

VL - 30

SP - 235

EP - 242

JO - Polar Biology

JF - Polar Biology

IS - 2

ER -