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An Experimental Study on the Food Chain Among Bacteria, Paramecium and Daphnia
Author(s) -
Tezuka Yasuhiko
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.19740590105
Subject(s) - paramecium caudatum , paramecium , daphnia pulex , bacteria , biology , pulex , protozoa , microbiology and biotechnology , daphnia , zoology , biochemistry , genetics , crustacean
A quantitative study is made of the feeding of Paramecium caudatum on bacteria and of the feeding of Daphnia pulex on Paramecium and bacteria. The growth yield of P. caudatum on a diet of an unidentified yellow‐colored bacterium was about 55% on a dry weight basis. Paramecium would not grow if the concentration of bacteria is less than 1 . 10 7 cells ml. Several other bacterial species were tested. Paramecium could not grow successfully on all of them, but could on Rhodopseudomonas spheroides. Adults of Daphnia pulex could grow and reproduce on a diet of P. caudatum alone, but young grew successfully only when bacteria were present.