Abstract
The effects of diet and water hardness, alone and in combination, on life history characteristics of Daphnia magna were determined in two laboratory tests. Number of young on the first day of reproduction, total young and the number of generations were greater with increasing hardness. At the maximum test hardness of 350 mg/l (as CaC03), approximately 65% more young were produced than at the lowest hardness of 50 mg/l (as CaCO3). Furthermore, time to sexual maturity was about one day shorter in the harder culture water. Daphnids fed the combination of a green alga, trout chow and dehydrated alfalfa were over three times more productive than daphnids fed only the alga or only trout chow and alfalfa. The combination of the algae-reinforced diet with hard culture water provided for optimal productivity.
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Lewis, M.A., Maki, A.W. Effects of water hardness and diet on productivity of Daphnia magna Straus. in laboratory culture. Hydrobiologia 85, 175–179 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006627
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006627