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Behavioral flexibility in prey selection by bacterivorous nanoflagellates
Author(s) -
Jürgens Klaus,
DeMott William R.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1995.40.8.1503
Subject(s) - heterotroph , bacteria , inert , predation , biology , abundance (ecology) , limiting , predator , chemistry , food science , environmental chemistry , ecology , mechanical engineering , genetics , organic chemistry , engineering
We used laboratory experiments to study the effects of changing food abundance on the selective feeding of two heterotrophic nanoflagellates on particles of similar size but differing nutritional quality (latex beads and fluorescently stained bacteria). Both Bodo saltans and Spumella sp. exhibited similar shifts in selectivity with changes in food concentration. Flagellates that were cultured under food‐limiting conditions showed a modest but significant preference for beads when both particles were offered simultaneously. However, both flagellates exhibited strong discrimination against the inert beads within 30–60 min after the addition of a satiating concentration of live bacteria. As bacterial abundance declined over 24 h, discrimination against the inert beads gradually relaxed. The observed pattern of concentration‐dependent selectivity is in agreement with the predictions of optimal diet models.