Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Life table parameters of Brachionus plicatilis and B. rotundiformis in relation to salinity and temperature

Volume 46 Issue 1

G. Gopakumar and V. Jayaprakas

Abstract

One of the widely used techniques for assessing population dynamics of rotifers is life table studies. The parameters of population statistics can be obtained by observing the reproduction and mortality of individual rotifer under experimentally controlled ecological parameters. In the strains of Brachionus plicatilis and B. mtundiformis, investigated in the present study, the life table parameters were vitally affected by salinity as well as temperature. At salinities 10 x 10^-3 and 2.5 x 10^-3 respectively, B. rotundiformis and B. plicatilis attained maximum size, took shortest duration from neonate to the first egg production, had the maximum reproductive period, least egg hatching time, maximum fecundity, maximum number of eggs carried at one time, longest post reproductive period and maximum lifespan. Temperature acted independently of salinity and the pattern of influence of salinity was not altered by temperature. At the different grades of salinities, the higher temperature gave the better performance than their corresponding salinity grades at room temperature.

 

Keywords

Life table parameters of Brachionus spp

Date : 30-06-2004