Effects of rotifers, copepods and chironomid larvae on microbial communities in peatlands

European Journal of Protistology
Tomasz MieczanMonika Tarkowska-Kukuryk

Abstract

Interactions between the microbial loop and the classical grazing food chain are essential to ecosystem ecology. The goal of the present study was to examine the impact of chironomid larvae, rotifers and copepods on the major components of the microbial food web (algae, bacteria, heterotrophic flagellates, testate amoebae and ciliates) in peatlands. Two enclosure experiments were carried out in a Sphagnum peatland. In the experiments we manipulated rotifers, copepods and macroinvertebrates, i.e. chironomid larvae (Psectrocladius sordidellus gr). During the experiments variation was observed in the abundance of potential predators. The beginning of the first experiment was distinguished by dominance of rotifers, but five days later copepods were dominant. In the second experiment copepods dominated. The results of this study are the first to suggest a substantial impact of chironomid larvae, rotifers and copepods on microorganism communities in peatland ecosystems. The impact is reflected by both a decrease in the abundance and biomass of testate amoebae and ciliates and a transformation of the size structure of bacteria. Heterotrophic flagellates (HNF) were not controlled by metazoans, but rather by testate amoebae and ciliates...Continue Reading

References

Jun 1, 1995·Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology·J van den HoekD W Newling
Dec 8, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Luca BragazzaHannah Toberman
Sep 29, 2011·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Neil Rooney, Kevin S McCann
Jan 27, 2012·Ecology Letters·Lotta HeckmannChristian Guill
Aug 19, 2014·European Journal of Protistology·Katrit KarusPriit Zingel

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Citations

Apr 5, 2017·European Journal of Protistology·Tomasz MieczanBarbara Pawlik-Skowrońska
Sep 27, 2019·Frontiers in Microbiology·Samuel HamardVincent E J Jassey

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