Abstract
I examined the effects of a graded density of the large-bodied cladoceran Daphnia pulicaria upon a natural rotifer assemblage to assess the relative magnitudes of interference and exploitative competition. An in situ, 5-day, bag-enclosure experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that populations of the rotifers Anuraeopsis spp., Keratella cochlearis 'typica' and Polyarthra spp. are differentially suppressed by interference competition. Rotifer density decreases and observed vs. expected mortality rates for all three rotifer taxa were consistent with the hypothesis of suppression via interference competition. Evidence of exploitative effects were also apparent, though interference effects appeared more important at higher cladoceran densities.
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