Predator–prey relationships and predation rates for crustacean zooplankters from some lakes in western Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Author: Anderson, R. Stewart
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1970
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Canada; Zooplankton
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z70-212; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z70-212

Experimental studies on Diaptoimus shoshone, D. arcticus, D. nevadensis, Cyclops bicuspidatus thomasi, C. vernalis, and Branckinecta gigas show that these predatory species can capture and eat many prey species of various sizes. B. gigas probably combines raptorial with filter feeding and can eat 150 or more smaller crustaceans per day. Adult D. shoshone, D. arcticus, and D. nevadensis eat up to 12 or more cyclopoids or diaptomids per day. Rotifers are also preferred prey. Predation rates are inversely proportional to prey size. Cannibalism probably causes the uniformity in body size and instar of predaceous diaptomids in some populations, C. vernalis and C. b. thomasi can eat six or more prey animals daily, depending on the size of the prey. Predaceous diaptomids and cyclopoids will eat the same prey species at rates which are influenced more by hunger than by abundance of prey. Furthermore, each species is a potential predator on the other, where the role of predator or prey is determined by the relative size or instar of the two groups. Hence, codominance of the zooplankton by predaceous diaptomid and cyclopoid species is unlikely.