Comparison of the life-history parameters and competition outcome with Moina macrocopa between two morphs of Brachionus forficula

Ya-Li Ge,Rong Zhan,Tong Luo,Jin-Hang Yu,Yi-Long Xi,Cui-Cui Ge,Gen Zhang

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24441-9

Ya-Li Ge, Rong Zhan + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24441-9

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Abstract

In rotifers, the costs of morphological defenses, especially the development of long spines, have been investigated for several decades. However, the obtained results were inconsistent and the underlying reasons were complicated. Investigations on more species might be helpful to find out the reasons. In the present study, Brachionus forficula was selected as the model organism. The differences in developmental durations, life-table demography, starvation resistant time and the competitive ability with Moina macrocopa were compared between B. forficula with long (LPS) and short (SPS) posterior spines. The results showed that LPS showed relatively longer durations of juvenile stage at 1.0 × 106, 2.0 × 106 and 4.0 × 106 cells/ml Scenedesmus obliquus, and longer embryo stage at 2.0 × 106 cells/ml S. obliquus than SPS. The intrinsic rate of population increase and net reproduction rate were lower in LPS than SPS, suggesting the energy input to reproduction decreased. The starvation resistant time was also reduced in LPS, in comparison to SPS, further supporting that LPS consumed more energy, which might be directed to the development of long spines. All these results revealed that LPS spent more energy for individual growth than SPS, which might be used to develop long spines. Moreover, the maximum population density and population growth rate of LPS were always lower than those of SPS, suggesting that LPS might have a weaker competition ability with M. macrocope than SPS.

Highlights

Phenotypic plasticity is a common phenomenon in zooplankton, such as rotifers and Daphnia[1,2,3]
To investigate the reversibility of long posterior spines in B. forficula, the developmental durations, the life-table demographic parameters and the starvation time were compared between long posterior spine morph (LPS) and SPS of B. forficula
To the best of our knowledge, there was no reports on the transformation of different morphs of B. forficula

Summary

Introduction

Phenotypic plasticity is a common phenomenon in zooplankton, such as rotifers and Daphnia[1,2,3]. To investigate the reversibility of long posterior spines in B. forficula, the developmental durations, the life-table demographic parameters and the starvation time were compared between LPS and SPS of B. forficula. ANOVA analyses revealed that algal density significantly influenced all the tested life-table demographic parameters of both morphs except no significant effects on the generation time of SPS (Fig. 4).

Results

Conclusion