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Effects of density and substrate on Chironomus
Creator: Contributor:Polish Academy of Sciences. Institute of Ecology
Publisher:Polish Academy of Sciences. Institute of Ecology. Publishing Office
Place of publishing: Date issued/created: Description:Pages 369-378 : illustrations ; 27 cm ; Bibliographical references (page 378)
Type of object: Subject and Keywords:Chironomus ; benthos laboratory experiments ; populations ; competition ; behaviour ; density dependence ; type of substrate
Abstract:Strong dependence of larval tube numbers on the population density, the condition of larvae and feeding situation occurred, but no correlation with the type of substrate was found.Numbers of larval tubes per individual were on the average 2.6 times lower at high (20 and 40 thousands ind. m-2) than at low (2-2.5 thousands ind. m-2) initial densities of larvae. They fluctuated strongly, but only at low densities, indicating the very high activity of larvae; high densities probably restrained this activity.The grown up larvae succeeded in finishing their full development in the mineral substrate with the tiny (< 0.1 mm) layer of the natural mud at the top of it. No conical nettings (inside larval tubes) for food filtration were observed. The larvae fed mostly on the internal walls of their tubes; sometimes they also collected particles from the surface of the substrate (especially of substrates poor in the organic matter}, after the food was furnished. The emergence of imagines depended on the larval density but quite differently than the numbers of tubes. The threshold for the decreased tube numbers per individual was between 2.5 and 20 thousands individuals m2, while that for the emergence of imagines - between 20 and 40 thousands individuals m2.
References:
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Language: Language of abstract: Rights:Creative Commons Attribution BY 3.0 PL license
Terms of use:Copyright-protected material. [CC BY 3.0 PL] May be used within the scope specified in Creative Commons Attribution BY 3.0 PL license, full text available at: ; -
Digitizing institution:Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Original in:Library of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
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