Bosmina Essay

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Currently there is a large amount of literature on the anti-predator defenses of Bosmina against both vertebrate (visual) and invertebrate (tactile) predators in lakes (Pastorok, 1981). While the defense mechanisms of these sensitive crustaceans are understood (Brancelj et al., 1996; Krueger et al., 1981), little work has been done on Bosmina in wetlands. In lakes, Bosmina can use their position in the water column (deep in the daytime, shallower at night) to avoid visual predators, and can modify their life-history strategies such as size at first reproduction, number and size of offspring, body shape/proportions to avoid tactile predators (Barry, 2000; Brancelj et al., 1996). Vertical migration is the preferred defense mechanism but the adjustment of life history characteristics can be used when vertical migration is not possible (Slusarczyk & Bernadette, 2010). The study of Bosmina’s behavior in wetlands has received much less investigation. Wetland…show more content…
The following research question will guide the research: Will the existence of predators and/or the types of predators affect the size, body shape, and reproductive age of Bosmina living in a shallow water, wetland-simulated environment? Methods Study Site The wetland pond is located in the 275 acre Bousson Environmental Research Forest (N 41° 31’ 1.068’’ W 80° 2’ 53.172’’) of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The sampled species were collected from the wetland pond (see figure 1) in October. Here the water 9,300 liters of water freeze over in the winter making the pond a fishless wetland. Since the wetland pond has a maximum depth of 1.1 meters benthic predators exist through the whole water column. Figure 1. Bousson Environmental Research Reserve near Meadville, Pennsylvania. The blue arrow indicates the wetland pond that the species were taken from (Goeller,
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