TY - JOUR
T1 - Food Preference of Fresh-Water Invertebrates - Comparing Fresh and Decomposed Angiosperm and a Filamentous Alga
AU - Kornijow, R.
AU - Gulati, R.D.
AU - Ozimek, T.
N1 - Reporting year: 1995
Metis note: 2045; CL; AFW ; AqE; file:///L:/Endnotedatabases/NIOOPUB/pdfs/Pdfs1995\Kornijow_ea_2045.pdf
PY - 1995
Y1 - 1995
N2 - 1. Fresh and decomposed Mougeotia sp. (a filamentous green alga) and Elodea nuttallii (a vascular plant) were offered as food to three species of aquatic macroinvertebrates (Lymnnea peregra, Asellus meridianus and Endochironomus albipennis) to test: (i) if filamentous algae are preferred to aquatic higher plants (hereafter, called 'macrophytes') and (ii), as is known for higher plants, if decomposition also results in greater palatability of filamentous algae. 2. Compared with the alga, the macrophyte in both states was of higher nutritional value. Conditioning improved the nutritional value of both food types, but especially of the macrophyte. 3. Both fresh alga and fresh macrophyte were eaten little by all animals except A. meridianus feeding upon the macrophyte. Consumption was higher for both plants in their decomposed state. However, L. peregra consumed more decomposed macrophyte than the decomposed alga. Both decomposed plants were eaten most by E. albipennis followed by A. meridianus and L. peregra. 4. Digestibility of both plants, but especially of the macrophyte, increased significantly after decomposition. The assimilation efficiencies of all animals on the fresh E. nuttallii were higher than on fresh Mougeotia sp. After decomposition, the efficiency increased significantly only on the alga. Consequently, both decomposed plants were assimilated with similar efficiency by all test animals. 5. Amongst aquatic macrophytes, the increase of their consumption and digestibility upon decomposition has hitherto been known only for vascular plants but not for filamentous algae. [KEYWORDS: Macrophytes; lake; biomanipulation; herbivory; defenses; zwemlust; stream]
AB - 1. Fresh and decomposed Mougeotia sp. (a filamentous green alga) and Elodea nuttallii (a vascular plant) were offered as food to three species of aquatic macroinvertebrates (Lymnnea peregra, Asellus meridianus and Endochironomus albipennis) to test: (i) if filamentous algae are preferred to aquatic higher plants (hereafter, called 'macrophytes') and (ii), as is known for higher plants, if decomposition also results in greater palatability of filamentous algae. 2. Compared with the alga, the macrophyte in both states was of higher nutritional value. Conditioning improved the nutritional value of both food types, but especially of the macrophyte. 3. Both fresh alga and fresh macrophyte were eaten little by all animals except A. meridianus feeding upon the macrophyte. Consumption was higher for both plants in their decomposed state. However, L. peregra consumed more decomposed macrophyte than the decomposed alga. Both decomposed plants were eaten most by E. albipennis followed by A. meridianus and L. peregra. 4. Digestibility of both plants, but especially of the macrophyte, increased significantly after decomposition. The assimilation efficiencies of all animals on the fresh E. nuttallii were higher than on fresh Mougeotia sp. After decomposition, the efficiency increased significantly only on the alga. Consequently, both decomposed plants were assimilated with similar efficiency by all test animals. 5. Amongst aquatic macrophytes, the increase of their consumption and digestibility upon decomposition has hitherto been known only for vascular plants but not for filamentous algae. [KEYWORDS: Macrophytes; lake; biomanipulation; herbivory; defenses; zwemlust; stream]
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1995.tb01161.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1995.tb01161.x
M3 - Article
VL - 33
SP - 205
EP - 212
JO - Freshwater Biology
JF - Freshwater Biology
SN - 0046-5070
IS - 2
ER -