Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA) of carbon and nitrogen is useful tool for the understanding functional roles of target organisms in biological interactions in the food web. Recently, mixing model based on SIA is frequently used to determine which of the potential food sources predominantly assimilated by consumers, however, application of model is often limited and difficult for non-expert users of software. In the present study, we suggest easy manual of R software and package SIAR with example data regarding selective feeding of crustaceans dominated freshwater zooplankton community. We collected SIA data from the experimental mesocosms set up at the littoral area of eutrophic Chodae Reservoir, and analyzed the dominant crustacean species main food sources among small sized particulate organic matters (POM, <50 μm), large sized POM (>50 μm), and attached POM using mixing model. From the results obtained by SIAR model, Daphnia galeata and Ostracoda mainly consumed small sized POM while Simocephalus vetulus consumed both small and large sized POM simultaneously. Copepods collected from the reservoir showed no preferences on various food items, but in the mesocosm tanks, main food sources for the copepods was attached POM rather than planktonic preys including rotifers. The results have suggested that their roles as grazers in food web of eutrophicated reservoirs are different, and S. vetulus is more efficient grazer on wide range of food items such as large colony of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria during water bloom period.
Behavioral response is commonly affected by heavy metal toxicity, and behavioral reaction can be measured as sensitive endpoint for sublethal toxicity test and obtained easily and quickly. Also behavioral endpoints may serve as an insightful evaluation tool of the ecological effects of toxic chemicals.
In this study, Heterocypris incongruens (Crustacea: Ostracoda) was selected, which is usually used as an indicater species for water quality. H. incongruens was exposed to copper and arsenic for 5 minute and total distance, velocity, turn angle, and angle velocity were measured for 30 minute using video analysis system in laboratory condition.
Each endpoints reflected the effects of copper and Arsenic toxicity appropriately. These endpoint have possibility that can be used to identify characteristic behavioral responses to metal toxicity.
We evaluated the effect of water pH (6, 7, 8 and 9) and hardness (40mg/L and 160mg/L as CaCO3) on the growth of H. incongruens. Both water pH and hardness affected the growth parameter of H. incongruens such as head capsule width and maturity time. The head capsule width of the adults in the highest ph condition was 9.7% increased compared to the lowest ph condition. The maximum difference of the maturity time was 192 hours among the test conditions. Overall, as water ph level increase makes head capsule size of the test animal large, the inter-molt period and maturity time become shorter significantly. The effect of water hardness increasing showed a similar tendency with ph level. Especially, the difference of the growth parameter among the test conditions was increased by growing test animal. There are strong correlation between available amount of intake calcium and growth parameters of test animal. These results indicate that because of calcium demand for growth, water pH level and hardness are the important effect factor in life-cycle of the H. incongruens..