Differentiated fatty acid allocation of Daphnia magna helped to maintain their population under food quality deterioration

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are vital to the physiological functioning of crustacean zooplankton. However, cyanobacteria blooms frequently lead to PUFA deficiencies, which poses a substantial challenge to population fitness. Therefore, we hypothesize that D. magna adapt to PUFA-deficient conditions by prioritizing PUFA allocation to somatic growth, and then to offspring during reproduction to ensure population persistence. To test this hypothesis, we applied (compound-specific) 13C labeling to compare the turnover of total carbon and certain groups of fatty acids in Daphnia magna fed with Scenedesmus bijuba for 6 days and then switching to a diet of 13C labeled Microcystis wesenbergii for 6 days (with food quality deterioration) or to a diet of 13C-labeled Scenedesmus (without food quality deterioration), respectively. Fatty acid profiles of D. magna mothers and offspring were also analyzed to reveal their PUFA allocation strategies. Life table parameters from D. magna-feeding Scenedesmus switching to Microcystis were compared with D. magna fed with only Scenedesmus or Microcystis to reveal the effect of PUFA allocation on D. magna performance. Our results showed that with food quality deterioration, D. magna exhibited a significantly lower PUFA and carbon turnover and higher offspring: mother ratios in their PUFA contents. Despite this reduced reproduction, the D. magna switching diets showed no significant different intrinsic increasing rate of populations with those fed only Scenedesmus. Meanwhile, the D. magna switching diets performed significantly better than D. magna fed only Microcystis. These results suggest that differential fatty acid allocation of consumers may serve as an adaptive strategy for population maintenance in food quality deterioration and provide ecological implications with cyanobacterial bloom management and Daphnia reproductive plasticity, which needs further explorations.

Allocation and stoichiometric regulation of phosphorus in a freshwater zooplankton under limited conditions: Implication for nutrient cycling

Because zooplankton is potentially limited by phosphorus (P) in freshwater, they may modify their body P distributions in different biochemical and anatomic components depending on the environmental P levels. In the present study, we quantified the distribution and regulation of P in a freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna under P-limited conditions by using ³³P as a radiotracer. We demonstrated that the P allocation patterns in D. magna were independent of the ontogenic development. Carapace accounted for 35-54% of total body P, followed by small molecules and nucleic acids (11-30%), whereas phospholipids represented only a minor P pool. The proportion of body P allocated into carapace decreased from 51.8% in +P adults to 16.5% in the -P adults, and a lower proportion of body P was also allocated to eggs in the -P adults than in the +P adults (3.8 vs. 16.5%). Meanwhile, no difference in allocation pattern was detected in the juveniles under +P and -P conditions, demonstrating an interaction between effects of P condition and ontogeny. Furthermore, the P turnover rates of nucleic acids and phospholipids in the -P juveniles were only half of those found in the +P individuals, suggesting a reduced metabolic rate under P-deficient conditions. However, the P turnover rate of small molecules, nucleic acids and phospholipids did not vary with the P condition in adults. It appeared that the adults could maintain their basic P metabolism by down-regulating the P allocation to carapace and eggs. Our results provide an insight into the tolerance of zooplankton to P-deficiency and bear implications on involvement of Daphnia in regulation of P cycling and availability in the epilimnion.

Effects of prey trophic mode on the gross-growth efficiency of marine copepods: the case of mixoplankton

Copepod reproductive success largely depends on food quality, which also reflects the prey trophic mode. As such, modelling simulations postulate a trophic enhancement to higher trophic levels when mixotrophy is accounted in planktonic trophodynamics. Here, we tested whether photo-phagotrophic protists (mixoplankton) could enhance copepod gross-growth efficiency by nutrient upgrading mechanisms compared to obligate autotrophs and heterotrophs. To validate the hypothesis, we compared physiological rates of the copepod Paracartia grani under the three functional nutrition types. Ingestion and egg production rates varied depending on prey size and species, regardless of the diet. The gross-growth efficiency was variable and not significantly different across nutritional treatments, ranging from 3 to 25% in the mixoplanktonic diet compared to autotrophic (11–36%) and heterotrophic (8–38%) nutrition. Egg hatching and egestion rates were generally unaffected by diet. Overall, P. grani physiological rates did not differ under the tested nutrition types due to the large species-specific variation within trophic mode. However, when we focused on a single species, Karlodinium veneficum, tested as prey under contrasting trophic modes, the actively feeding dinoflagellate boosted the egestion rate and decreased the copepod gross-growth efficiency compared to the autotrophic ones, suggesting possible involvement of toxins in modulating trophodynamics other than stoichiometric constraints.

Copepod foraging on the basis of food nutritional quality: can copepods really choose?

Copepods have been considered capable of selective feeding based on several factors (i.e., prey size, toxicity, and motility). However, their selective feeding behaviour as a function of food quality remains poorly understood, despite the potential impact of such a process on copepod fitness and trophodynamics. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the ability of copepods to feed selectively according to the nutritional value of the prey. We investigated the feeding performance of the calanoid copepod Acartia grani under nutritionally distinct diets of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa sp. (nutrient-replete, N-depleted and P-depleted) using unialgal suspensions and mixtures of prey (nutrient-replete vs. nutrient-depleted). Despite the distinct cell elemental composition among algal treatments (e.g., C:N:P molar ratios) and the clear dietary impact on egg production rates (generally higher number of eggs under a nutrient-replete diet), no impact on copepod feeding rates was observed. All unialgal suspensions were cleared at similar rates, and this pattern was independent of food concentration. When the prey were offered as mixtures, we did not detect selective behaviour in either the N-limitation (nutrient-replete vs. N-depleted Heterocapsa cells) or P-limitation (nutrient-replete vs. P-depleted Heterocapsa cells) experiments. The lack of selectivity observed in the current study contrasts with previous observations, in which stronger nutritional differences were tested. Under normal natural circumstances, nutritional differences in natural prey assemblages might not be sufficiently strong to trigger a selective response in copepods based on that factor alone. In addition, our results suggest that nutritional quality might depend not only on the growing conditions but also on the inherent taxonomical properties of the prey.

The nutritional status of zooplankton in a tropical reservoir: effects of food quality and community structure

The temporal variability of energetic reserves of zooplankton in the eutrophic Pampulha reservoir was investigated during two successive annual cycles. The effects of dominance of large filter-feeding cladocerans (Daphnia) and the occurrence of massive blooms of the cyanobacteria Microcystis on the energetic reserves of zooplankton were tested. This study showed that phytoplankton composition has a greater effect on energetic reserves of zooplankton. Some associations between lipid levels and the specific composition of zooplankton were also found. This study also demonstrated that the elementary composition of phosphorus in zooplankton can be used as an estimator of the nutritional status of zooplankton.