Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046, China.
State Key Laboratory of Lake and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Nov 13;7(1):15370. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-15863-y.
Phaeocystis globosa, one of the most typical red tide-forming species, is usually mixed in the food composition of rotifers. To explore how rotifers respond by adjusting life history strategy when feeding on different quality foods, we exposed the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis to cultures with 100% Chlorella, a mixture of 50% P. globosa and 50% Chlorella, or 100% P. globosa. Results showed that rotifers exposed to 100% Chlorella or to mixed diets produced more total offspring and had higher age-specific fecundity than those exposed to 100% P. globosa. Food combination significantly affected the net reproduction rates of rotifers. By contrast, rotifers that fed on 100% P. globosa or on mixed diets had a longer lifespan than those fed on 100% Chlorella. The overall performances (combining reproduction and lifespan together) of rotifers cultured in 100% Chlorella or mixed diets were significantly higher than those cultured in 100% P. globosa. In general, Chlorella favors rotifers reproduction at the cost of shorter lifespan, whereas P. globosa tends to extend the lifespan of rotifers with lower fecundity, indicating that trade-off exists between reproduction and lifespan under different food conditions. The present study also suggests that rotifers may have the potential to control harmful P. globosa.
球形棕囊藻是赤潮最典型的形成物种之一，通常混合在轮虫的食物组成中。为了研究轮虫在以不同质量的食物为食时如何通过调整生活史策略来做出反应，我们将褶皱臂尾轮虫暴露于纯小球藻、50%球形棕囊藻和 50%小球藻的混合物或 100%球形棕囊藻的培养物中。结果表明，与暴露于 100%球形棕囊藻的轮虫相比，暴露于纯小球藻或混合饮食的轮虫产生的总后代数量更多，且特定年龄的生殖力更高。食物组合显著影响轮虫的净生殖率。相比之下，与以纯小球藻或混合饮食为食的轮虫相比，以 100%球形棕囊藻为食的轮虫寿命更长。在纯小球藻或混合饮食中培养的轮虫的整体表现（将繁殖和寿命结合在一起）明显高于在 100%球形棕囊藻中培养的轮虫。总的来说，小球藻有利于轮虫的繁殖，代价是寿命缩短，而球形棕囊藻则倾向于延长繁殖力较低的轮虫的寿命，这表明在不同的食物条件下繁殖和寿命之间存在权衡。本研究还表明，轮虫可能有潜力控制有害的球形棕囊藻。
