Cladocera Short Course

PHYSIOCHEMICAL FACTOR	RESPONSE

*Chemical Environment*
ALKALINITY AND CONDUCTIVITY
High	Low diversity, abundant "weed species" e.g. Daphnia pulex, Chydorus sphaericus
Low	High diversity of cladocerans

pH
>6	Low species diversity
<6	Species diversity tends to increase with decreasing pH

*Physical Environment*
HABITAT TYPE
Primarily limnetic	Abundant Daphnia and Bosmina
Primarily littoral	Diverse and abundant assemblages of chydorids

LITTORAL SUBSTRATE	Taxa found:
Sand	Monospilus dispar
Rock/sand	Alonopsis elongata, Rhynchotalona falcata, Alona intermedia, Disparalona rostrata
Mud	Leydigia sp., Chydorus piger, and to a lesser extent Alona quadrangularis, Pleuroxus aduncus
Vegetation	These species are largely restricted to vegetation: Graptoleberis testudinaria, Kurzia latissima, Camptocercus rectirostris, Sida sp., Oxyurella tenuicaudis. These species are common in vegetation: Acroperus harpae, Alonella nana, Alona affinis, Eurycercus lamellatus, Alona rectangula, Alonella exigua, Pleuroxus laevis, Pleuroxus trigonellus, Pleuroxus uncinatus, Pleuroxus aduncus, Pleuroxus truncatus
Peat/Sphagnum	Alona rustica, Chydorus ovalis
Chara	Alona costata
Common on all substrates	Alona guttata