Microhabitat preferences in three species of sympatric large branchiopods (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata) in a continually changing environment in Taiwan

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Abstract

Zooplankton generally distributes patchily. Distributional patchiness could be adaptive to survival and reproduction, especially for large branchiopods that live in temporary pools with variable aquatic environments. We focused on spatial utilization by three sympatric large branchiopods in a subtropical temporary pool (Siangtian Pond, northern Taiwan): Branchinella kugenumaensis (Ishikawa, 1895) (Anostraca), Eulimnadia braueriana Ishikawa, 1895 (Spinicaudata), and Lynceus biformis (Ishikawa, 1895) (Laevicaudata). Sampling along transects were conducted across four hydroperiods. The number of adults for each species was recorded to describe patchiness, edge aggregation, and hotspots of peak density. We found that the three species showed patchy distribution, which could reflect resource heterogeneity. Only B. kugenumaensis consistently aggregated toward the edge, and we hypothesize that this distributional tendency correlates with mating behavior. Hotspots of L. biformis were concentrated in the deepest locations, possibly due to late maturation and limited utilization area available for adults. In contrast, the early-maturing E. braueriana was scattered widely throughout the basin without an obvious pattern. Patchy distribution could be a common phenomenon for large branchiopods in temporary pools, whereas species-specific distribution patterns depend on multiple factors.

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Wang, C. C., Rogers, D. C., & Liu, J. Y. (2018). Microhabitat preferences in three species of sympatric large branchiopods (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata) in a continually changing environment in Taiwan. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 38(2), 140–146. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/rux108

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