Publication Date:
2014-07-11
Description:
Production of diapausing eggs in many zooplankton species occurs after partial switching from parthenogenesis to sexual reproduction. Storage effect theory predicts the stable long-term coexistence of competitors investing in diapausing stages, but it does not address the effect of such investment on short-term coexistence. The freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus and the cladoceran Moina micrura were used in this study to test experimentally if diapause could promote coexistence of active individuals under inter-specific competition. Our results show that B. calyciflorus was more affected by inter-specific competition and exhibited a greater and earlier production of resting eggs compared with M. micrura . Costs of diapause investment in Moina were only observed in competition. This was translated into reduced probability of B. calyciflorus of being outcompeted by M. micrura . We show that investment in diapause might promote local and short-term coexistence of competing zooplankton species. Our study strongly suggests that the ecological effects of diapause encompass a wider range of temporal scales, from weekly to decadal, and levels of organization, from individuals to communities, than previously thought.
Print ISSN:
0142-7873
Electronic ISSN:
1464-3774
Topics:
Biology
Permalink