Life table demography of Asplanchna brightwellii Gosse, 1850 fed with five different prey items

We conducted life table experiments on the freshwater rotifer Asplanchna brightwellii to analyze its demography when fed with prey items from several taxonomic groups (cladocerans, protozoans, and rotifers) and under two different temperature regimes (20 and 25A degrees C); the aim of the study was to determine the preferred prey for A. brightwellii in terms of fitness (evaluated as reproductive success) among five cladoceran, protozoan, and rotifer preys, and to test which temperature (20 or 25A degrees C) is better for life table parameters of Asplanchna. Our analysis identified Brachionus calyciflorus as the preferred prey for A. brightwellii based on life table statistics, ingestion rate and electivity indices. The greatest values for net reproductive rate and intrinsic growth rate were achieved when A. brightwellii was fed B. calyciflorus. Greater reproductive values (R (o) and r) were found at 25A degrees C than at 20A degrees C for A. brightwellii across the five prey species. We found significant differences in the ingestion rate and electivity index among zooplanktonic and benthic preys. The influence of temperature, the cost of predation, and how prey selection by A. brightwellii is influenced by: biomass, size, and swimming speed; they are discussed hoping to gain a better understanding of trophic transfers in zooplankton communities.