Journal of Environmental Biology

Studies on comparative population growth of some

species of the rotifer Lecane (Rotifera)

Author Details

C.R. Serrania-Soto

Postgraduate Programme in Biological Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico,

Postgraduate Studies Building, CU, Coyoacan, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico

S.S.S. Sarma

(Corresponding author)

Laboratory of Aquatic Zoology, Division of Research and Postgraduate Studies, National Autonomous

University of Mexico, Campus Iztacala

e-mail: sarma@servidor.unam.mx

S. Nandini

Laboratory of Aquatic Zoology, Division of Research and Postgraduate Studies, National Autonomous

University of Mexico, Campus Iztacala

Publication Data

Paper received:

16 November 2009

Revised received:

14 March 2010

Accepted:

20 April 2010

Abstract

We compared the population growth patterns of 5 species of the rotifer genus Lecane [(L. quadridentata (Ehrenberg, 1830), L. cornuta (Muller, 1786), L. papuana (Murray, 1913), L. unguitata (Fadeev, 1925) and L. pyriformis (Daday, 1905)] ranging in adult average body size from 30 to 140 ?m. All species were cultured under laboratory conditions for 25-30 days using the green alga Scenedesmus acutus as the exclusive diet, at a density of 1.0 X 10⁶ cells ml^-1 at 24^oC. Regardless of the species, lecanids reached their peak population densities after 4 weeks. Peak population densities ranged from 15 to 320 ind. ml^-1, depending on body size. There was an inverse curvilinear relation between body lengths and peak population abundances (densities) of the Lecane species. Egg ratios (eggs per female) for the tested species were <0.6 during the exponential phase but declined to 0.1 (or lower) as the population density increased. The rates of population increase for the lecanids were in general lower (0.10 to 0.21 day^-1) than other well-studied rotifer species including members of Brachionidae.

Key words

Rotifer, Population dynamics, Food density, Egg ratio

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