Effect of temperature and food concentration in two species of littoral rotifers

Abstract

We performed life-table experiments with two species of the littoral rotifers Lecane luna (O.F. Muller, 1776) and Lecane quadridentata (Ehrenberg, 1832). Three different temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C) and food concentrations of Nannochloris oculata (1 x 107, 5 x 106, and 1 x 106 cells ml-1) were investigated. We found important differences between both species in all the treatments regarding offspring sizes, hatching percentages, life span and reproductive rates. Our data on hatching percentages of asexual eggs suggested that the optimal temperature for both species is in the 20-25°C range. On the other hand, reproductive data placed the optimal temperature near 25°C. This information can be used to develop aquatic toxicology tests with littoral species.