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The impact of ultraviolet radiation on the vertical distribution of zooplankton of the genus Daphnia

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  • Stephan C. Rhode

    (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Zoological Institute)

  • Markus Pawlowski

    (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Zoological Institute)

  • Ralph Tollrian

    (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Zoological Institute)

Abstract

The vertical migration of zooplankton into lower and darker water strata by day is generally explained by the avoidance of visually orienting predators, mainly fish1,2,3,4; however, it is unclear why daily zooplankton migration has been maintained in fishless areas5. In addition to predation, ultraviolet radiation—a hazardous factor for zooplankton in the surface layers of marine and freshwater environments6,7,8—has been suspected as a possible cause of daytime downward migration9. Here we test this hypothesis by studying several Daphnia species, both in a controlled laboratory system and under natural sunlight in an outdoor system. We selected Daphnia species that differed in their pigmentation as both melanin and carotenoids have been shown to protect Daphnia from ultraviolet light10,11. All Daphnia species escaped into significantly deeper water layers under ultraviolet radiation. The extent to which the daphnids responded to this radiation was inversely linked to their pigmentation, which reduced ultraviolet transmission. These results suggest that ultraviolet avoidance is an additional factor in explaining daytime downward migration. Synergistic benefits might have shaped the evolution of this complex behaviour.

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  • Stephan C. Rhode & Markus Pawlowski & Ralph Tollrian, 2001. "The impact of ultraviolet radiation on the vertical distribution of zooplankton of the genus Daphnia," Nature, Nature, vol. 412(6842), pages 69-72, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:412:y:2001:i:6842:d:10.1038_35083567
    DOI: 10.1038/35083567
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    Cited by:

    1. Bandara, Kanchana & Varpe, Øystein & Ji, Rubao & Eiane, Ketil, 2018. "A high-resolution modeling study on diel and seasonal vertical migrations of high-latitude copepods," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 368(C), pages 357-376.
    2. Jingyun Yin & Jihong Xia & Zhichang Xia & Wangwei Cai & Zewen Liu & Kejun Xu & Yue Wang & Rongzhen Zhang & Xu Dong, 2022. "Temporal Variation and Spatial Distribution in the Water Environment Helps Explain Seasonal Dynamics of Zooplankton in River-Type Reservoir," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, October.

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