Artemia parthenogenetica in Lake Hayward, Western Australia. II. Feeding biology in a shallow, seasonally stratified, hypersaline lake

Abstract

Primary production in Lake Hayward, Western Australia, is dominated by benthic microbial communities, with limited planktonic primary production. This study investigated the question of how Artemia, commonly regarded as simple, obligate, non-selective filter feeders, were able to survive in this system. Bacteria (heterotrophic and autotrophic, filamentous and unicellular) were the major components in the diet of the Artemia in Lake Hayward. These bacteria were derived from bacterial aggregates in the water column and also from benthic mat material (both still attached to the substrate and from pieces floating in the water column). Benthic diatoms were a substantial dietary component of animals living in the unstratified shallow regions. Photosynthetic eukaryotic nanoplankton comprised a minor component of the diet of this Artemia population. Gut contents of a large number of animals and the results of a simple laboratory test indicated that these animals utilise substrate-bound food resources. The results of the present study raises the question of the ecological significance of surface grazing by brine shrimps in other shallow, benthos dominated saline systems.