Abstract
We evaluated the feeding rates and functional responses of A. americanus using different concentrations and food types of Scenedesmus acutus (Chlorophyceae), Brachionus havanaensis (Rotifera), Moina micrura (Cladocera) and nauplii of A. americanus. The nauplii consumed only algae, thereby competing with cladoceran neonates because their grazing rates of 0.43 × 106 cells h−1 and 0.54 × 106 cells h−1 respectively, are similar. The functional response of A. americanus showed similar rates of consumption of prey nauplii (2.55 ind. h−1) and cladoceran neonates (2.73 ind. h−1). The copepods had a higher preference for the rotifer B. havanaensis regardless of its availability with regard to other tested prey species. Nauplii of A. americanus could be strong competitors of cladoceran neonates since both these crustaceans feed on similar diets while the adult copepods are voracious predators consuming their own nauplii, rotifers and cladocerans. Thus, A. americanus exerts considerable impact on zooplankton communities through different developmental stages.
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