Relationship of the body size and egg number with diel horizontal migration

• Grant number: 14/07179-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Stela Maioli Castilho Noll
• Grantee: Natan Guilherme dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Diel Horizontal Migration (DHM) in microcrustaceans is a topic of research in many aquatic ecosystems. For tropical environments there is lack of information and evidence that this phenomenon actually occurs among the many species. Until now the studies have not considered intrapopulation differences, as stages of development and the presence of eggs, which may be a factor that influences the individuals mobility and, consequently, diel horizontal migration. The aim of this study is to investigate if diel horizontal migration in cladocerans and copepods occurs differently among stages of development, characterized by variation in body size and number of eggs per female, and if the presence or absence of macrophytes can influence this behavior. To reach the proposed objective, an experiment was conducted using 12 ponds in two treatments: presence and absence of macrophytes. Samples were taken in littorals and limnetics zones during the day and night. We will take measures of body-size and the number of eggs in cladocerans and copepods to evaluate which stage of development is more abundant and where they are distributed.