Ecological mechanisms regulating the dynamics of the field rotifer population in a subtropical lake: evidence from the density, reproduction, and morphology of a case rotifer, Brachionus angularis

Abstract

Understanding the ecological mechanisms driving the dynamics of field rotifer populations remains a challenge in ecology. Brachionus angularis (Rotifera) is preferred in such studies because of their planktonic behavior, high fecundity, and absence of cryptic species. In this study, one-year zooplankton samples were collected twice a month from a subtropical lake and the roles of abiotic and biotic factors regulating the population dynamics of B. angularis were analyzed. The sampled B. angularis were composed of two discontinuous populations: ‘summer and autumn’ and ‘spring and winter’, segmented by high mixis rates. The ‘summer and autumn’ population had high egg ratios, but low egg volumes. Water temperature was the main factor driving temporal dynamics in density, thereby counteracting the negative effect of top-down force. Based on the synchronous dynamics of two fractions of chlorophyll-a, the densities of B. angularis, its potential competitors and predators, together with the reverse correlations between the egg ratio and population density, and Secchi-disk depth, we found that bottom-up and top-down forces were plausible factors regulating variations in population density in spring (March and April). However, the density peak of B. angularis in winter might be primarily ascribed to recruitment from the sediment. We further addressed the necessity for diverse evidence from the speciation of cryptic species, abundance, reproduction, and morphology, in understanding the population dynamics of a field rotifer population.