Dietary effects of phytoplankton and zooplankton on larval survival, duration and growth of four Caridina species (Decapoda: Caridea: Atyidae) under laboratory conditions

Abstract

We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the dietary effects of phytoplankton and zooplankton on larval survival, duration and growth of four amp-hidromous atyid shrimps, Caridina leucosticta, C. multidentata, C. serratirostris, and C. typus. Larvae were reared by being fed commercially preserved or cultured phyto-plankton Tetraselmis sp. and cultured zooplankton rotifers. Larvae survived to juveniles by being fed cultured phytoplankton and rotifers; however, C. serratirostris lar-vae died due to being trapped to the surface tension of the water during moulting. Rotifers significantly improved larval survival and development, particularly in C. multidentata and C. typus. C. leucosticta larvae moulted to juveniles with high survival rates by being fed only cultured phytoplankton, suggesting that they may develop in eutrophic brackish environments with substantial phytoplankton biomass. C. multi-dentata larvae had prolonged larval durations under limited nutritional conditions, suggesting their ability to broadly disperse in the sea. C. typus had a longer larval duration than C. leucosticta. Thus, Caridina species might exhibit different larval dispersal strategies in the sea. Larval duration varied, but body size did not vary among the species under the different feeding conditions, indicating that larvae moulted to juveniles after reaching the threshold size of each species needed to migrate to their adult freshwater habitat.