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Opposing predation pressures and induced vertical migration responses in Daphnia
Author(s) -
Nesbitt Leslie M.,
Riessen Howard P.,
Ramcharan Charles W.
Publication year - 1996
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.1996.41.6.1306
Subject(s) - daphnia pulex , predation , daphnia , diel vertical migration , pulex , predator , biology , ecology , water column , invertebrate , environmental science , crustacean
Induced vertical migration by Daphnia pulex in response to two invertebrate predators was examined in lake enclosures to determine the adaptive benefit of this behavior. Daphnia reduced spatial overlap with Chaoborus larvae, which occupied the lower strata in the enclosures, by moving upward in the water column. In the presence of both Chaoborus and the backswimmer Notonecta , which resides near the surface, this upward migration response was modified in the daytime (but not at night) to simultaneously avoid areas occupied by each predator. D. pulex thus seems capable of sophisticated antipredator behavior that increases individual fitness by reducing predation risk.