title: Feeding in the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus : II. Effect of food density on feeding rates using Euglena gracilis and Rhodotorula glutinis.
abstract: The laboratory feeding behavior of Brachionus calyciflorus varies depending upon the type of food cell available in suspension. When feeding on the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis, rotifers show a continuous increase in ingestion with increased cell density between 0.01 and 1000 μg dry weight ml-1. Effective clearance rates drop from ca. 50 μl animal-1h-1to less than 0.5 μl animal-1h-1over this food density range. When feeding on Englena gracilis, B. calyciflorus ingestion rates are constant between 1.0 and 100 μg ml-1of available food, averaging close to 25 ng animal-1h-1. The decrease in clearance rate is more striking than with R. glutinis, dropping from 45 μl animal-1h-1at 0.1 μg ml-1to 0.13 μl animal-1h-1at 100 μg ml-1. Differences between the patterns obtained with the two food types indicate fundamental dissimilarities in the feeding behavior of this rotifer species when presented with these different foods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 03755, Hanover, NH, USA.
authors.forename: Peter L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Starkweather
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 03755, Hanover, NH, USA.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gilbert