Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Larval identification of two syntopic species Branchipus schaefferi and Tanymastix stagnalis (Crustacea, Anostraca) sheds light on their pattern of coexistence

  • CHALLENGES IN ANOSTRACAN RESEARCH
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the present study we applied a discriminant function analysis to distinguish two fairy shrimp species, Branchipus schaefferi and Tanymastix stagnalis (Anostraca), co-occurring in Lago dell’Orso in central Italy. Our aim was to obtain information on the pattern of coexistence of these two species to investigate their syntopy since early larval stages. To identify the larvae of the two species we used six discriminant functions, one for each larval stage considered (nauplius, four metanauplius stages and juvenis), and based on morphometric analyses and measurements of different traits (thoracic appendages, body length, length of first antenna, length of head, thorax length and length of furca). The pool was visited at weekly intervals during two time periods for a total of 4 years (1995–1996 and 2000–2001) and physical and chemical variables (water level, water and air temperature, pH and conductivity) were recorded. A total of 1067 specimens were collected, measured and morphometrically identified. B. schaefferi was more abundant and persistent than T. stagnalis. At any stage, T. stagnalis was bigger than B. schaefferi and this difference may justify niche differentiation between coexisting species. Difference in size might be linked to difference in life-span as B. schaefferi reproduced earlier and at a smaller size than T. stagnalis. When the hydroperiod is short, B. schaefferi might be the only species to produce resting eggs in time for reproduction. On the other hand, T. stagnalis may have an advantage in the longest hydroperiods. In an ephemeral seasonal pond such as Lago dell’Orso, coexistence can be fostered and competitive exclusion can be prevented as a result of seasonal environmental changes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Sayed, H. & K. Zainal, 2005. The occurrence of anostracans – fairy shrimps Branchipus schaefferi in vernal pools of Bahrain. Journal of Arid Environments 61: 447–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arukwe, A. & A. Langeland, 2013. Mitochondrial DNA inference between European populations of Tanymastix stagnalis and their glacial survival in Scandinavia. Ecology and Evolution 3: 3868–3878.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Beladjal, L., J. Mertens & H. J. Dumont, 1995. An analysis of the setation of the limbs in Anostraca (Crustacea); using the Algerian species as an example. Hydrobiologia 298: 183–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beladjal, L., N. Peiren, K. R. Dierckens & J. Mertens, 1997. Feeding strategy of two sympatric anostracan species (Crustacean). Hydrobiologia 359: 207–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beladjal, L., N. Peiren, T. T. M. Vandekerckhove & J. Mertens, 2003. Different life histories of the co-occurring fairy shrimps Branchipus schaefferi and Streptocephalus torvicornis (Anostraca). Journal of Crustacean Biology 23: 300–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beladjal, L., P. H. H. Weekers & J. Mertens, 2007. Life cycle and genetic differences of two Branchipus schaefferi populations from Morocco (Anostraca: Crustacea). Animal Biology 57: 409–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belk, D. & J. Brtek, 1995. Checklist of the Anostraca. Hydrobiologia 289: 315–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernice, R., 1972. Ecological studies on Streptocephalus dichotomus Baird (Crustacea, Anostraca). Hydrobiologia 39: 217–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boven, L., R. Stoks, L. Forro & L. Brendonck, 2008. Seasonal dynamics in water quality and vegetation cover in temporary pools with variable hydroperiods in Kiskunsag (Hungary). Wetlands 28: 401–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brendonck, L., 1996. Diapause, quiescence, hatching requirements: what we can learn from large freshwater branchiopods (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Notostraca, Conchostraca). Hydrobiologia 320: 85–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brendonck, L. & B. J. Riddoch, 2002. Egg bank dynamics in anostracan desert rock pool populations (Crustacea: Branchiopoda). Archiv fuer Hydrobiologie 148: 71–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brtek, J. & A. Thiéry, 1995. The geographical distribution of the European Branchiopods (Anostraca, Notostraca, Spinicaudata, Laevicaudata). Hydrobiologia 298: 263–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Roeck, E. R., A. Waterkeyn & L. Brendonck, 2010. Life-history of Streptocephalus purcelli Sars, 1898 (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) from temporary waters with different phenology. Water SA 36: 323–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eder, E., W. Hödl & R. Gottwald, 1997. Distribution and phenology of large branchiopods in Austria. Hydrobiologia 359: 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, C. H. & D. Belk, 1999. The Fairy Shrimps of California’s Pools, Puddles, and Playas. Mad River Press, Eureka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaston, K. J. & M. A. O’Neill, 2004. Automated species identification: why not? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 359: 655–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grainger, J. N. R., 1991. The biology of Tanymastix stagnalis (L.) and its survival in large and small temporary water bodies in Ireland. Hydrobiologia 212: 77–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamer, M. L. & C. C. Appleton, 1991. Life history adaptations of phyllopods in response to predators, vegetation, and habitat duration in north-eastern Natal. Hydrobiologia 212: 105–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hathaway, S. A. & M. A. Simovich, 1996. Factors affecting the distribution and co-occurrence of two southern californian anostracans (Branchiopoda), Branchinecta sandiegonensis and Streptocephalus woottoni. Journal of Crustacean Biology 16: 669–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hebert, P. D. N., A. Cywinska, S. L. Ball & J. R. de Waard, 2003. Biological identifications through DNA barcodes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences 270: 313–321.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Horváth, Z., C. F. Vad, L. Vörös & E. Boros, 2013. Distribution and conservation status of fairy shrimp (Crustacea: Anostraca) in the astatic soda pans of the Carpathian basin: the role of local and spatial factors. Journal of Limnology 72: 103–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G. E., 1959. Homage to Santa Rosalia or why are there so many kinds of animals? American Natutalist 93: 145–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G. E., 1961. The paradox of the plankton. American Naturalist 95: 137–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaiswara, R., D. Nandi & R. Balakrishnan, 2013. Examining the effectiveness of discriminant function analysis and cluster analysis in species identification of male field crickets based on their calling songs. PLOS ONE 8: e75930.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Maeda-Martínez, A. M., D. Belk, H. Obregón-Barboza & H. J. Dumont, 1997. Large branchiopod assemblages common to Mexico and the United States. Hydrobiologia 359: 45–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, V. & S. C. Weeks, 1997. The effects of pond duration on the life history traits of an ephemeral pond crustacean, Eulimnadia texana. Hydrobiologia 359: 213–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, W. G., 1959. Observations on the biology of the fairy shrimp Eubranchipus holmani. Ecology 40: 399–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, W. G., 1963. Some interspecies relationship in Anostraca populations of certain Louisiana ponds. Ecology 44: 131–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., 1991. Life history and interspecies relationships of Chirocephalus diaphanus Prévost and Tanymastix stagnalis (L.) (Crustacea, Anostraca) inhabiting a group of mountain ponds in Latium, Itlay. Hydrobiologia 212: 45–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., 1993. Seasonal distribution of Artemia salina and Branchinella spinosa in a saline astatic pond in south west Sardinia, Italy (Anostraca). Crustaceana 64: 172–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., 1999. Current status of the Anostraca of Italy. Hydrobiologia 405: 57–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., 2001. Life history strategy of Chirocephalus ruffoi (Crustacea, Anostraca) in Mediterranean temporary mountain pools. Hydrobiologia 462: 145–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., L. Catania, B. Sacco & A. Giusti, 1996. Brevi note su indagini faunistiche in bacini astatici del comprensorio dei Monti della Laga. Rivista di Idrobiologia 35: 31–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., G. Fancello & S. Di Giuseppe, 2003. Adaptive strategies in populations of Chirocephalus diaphanus (Crustacea, Anostraca) from temporary waters in the Creatine Apennines (Central Italy). Journal of Limnology 62: 35–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., F. Ferrara, M. Delise, F. Fabietti & A. Bocca, 1997a. Evaluation of the fatty acid profiles of two fairy shrimp species, Branchipus pasai Cottarelli, 1969 and Chirocephalus kerkyrensis Pesta, 1936 (Crustacea, Anostraca) fed different diets. Hydrobiologia 359: 229–235.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G., F. Ferrara, F. Fabietti, M. Delise & A. Bocca, 1997b. Biochemical (fatty acid profile) diversity in anostracan species of the genus Chirocephalus Prévost. Hydrobiologia 359: 237–241.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mura, G. & P. Zarattini, 2000. Life history adaptation of Tanymastix stagnalis (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) to habitat characteristics. Hydrobiologia 437: 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nourisson, M. & P. Aguesse, 1961. Cycle annueldes Phyllopodes d’une mare temporaire de Camargue. Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France 6: 754–762.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parson, S. & G. Jones, 2000. Acoustic identification of twelve species of echolocating bat by discriminant function analysis and artificial neural network. The Journal of Experimental Biology 203: 2641–2656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrov, B. & D. M. Cvetković, 1997. Community structure of branchiopods (Anostraca, Notostraca and Conchostraca) in the Banat province in Yugoslavia. Hydrobiologia 359: 23–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petrov, B. & I. Petrov, 1999. Multispecies coexistence of Branchiopods (Anostraca, Notostraca and Conchostraca) in Yugoslavia. Contributions to the Zoogeography and Ecology of the Eastern Mediterranean Region 1: 387–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proudlove, G. & P. J. Wood, 2003. The blind leading the blind: cryptic subterranean species and DNA taxonomy. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18: 272–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, D. C., 2002. The amplexial morphology of selected Anostraca. Hydrobiologia 486: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, V., M. Zatorri, A. Perotti & P. Menozzi, 2013. What does egg size tell us about hatching phenology in Heterocypris incongruens? Fundamamental and Applied Limnology 182(3): 253–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tavernini, S., G. Mura & G. Rossetti, 2005. Factors influencing the seasonal phenology and composition of zooplankton communities in mountain temporary pools. International Review of Hydrobiology 90: 358–375.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thiéry, A., 1991. Multispecies coexistence of branchiopods (Anostraca, Notostraca & Spinicaudata) in temporary ponds of Chaouia plain (western Morocco): sympatry or syntopy between usually allopatric species. Hydrobiologia 212: 117–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thiéry, A., 1997. Horizontal distribution and abundance of cysts of several large branchiopods on temporary pool and ditch sediments. Hydrobiologia 359: 177–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandergast, A. G., D. A. Wood, M. Simovich & J. Bohonak, 2009. Identification of co-occurring Branchinecta fairy shrimp species from encysted embryos using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Molecular Ecology Resources 9: 767–770.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vanschoenwinkel, B., M. Seaman & L. Brendonck, 2010. Hatching phenology, life history and egg bank size of fairy shrimp Branchipodopsis spp. (Branchiopoda, Crustacea) in relation to the ephemerality of their rock pool habitat. Aquatic Ecology 44: 771–780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C. C., S. L. Huang, W. P. Huang & L. S. Chou, 2012. Spatial niche differentiation of sympatric Branchiopoda in a highly unpredictable ephemeral pool. Journal of Crustacean Biology 32: 39–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterkeyn, A., P. Grillas, B. Vanschoenwinkel & L. Brendonck, 2008. Invertebrate community patterns in Mediterranean temporary wetlands along hydroperiod and salinity gradients. Freshwater Biology 53: 1808–1822.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. D., 2006. The Biology of Temporary Waters. Oxford University Press, Oxford: 337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarattini, P. & G. Mura, 2004. Biometrical key-characters for species separation during ontogenesis in fairy shrimps (Crustacea, Anostraca). Hydrobiologia 513: 109–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Mr. Patrick Moore for his generous help in improving the language of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Via Valerio 28, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    P. Zarattini

  2. Dipartimento di Chimica, Scienze della vita e sostenibilità ambientale, Università degli Studi di Parma, Via G.P. Usberti 11/A, 43124, Parma, Italy

    V. Rossi

  3. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologia “Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi Sapienza di Roma, Viale dell’Università 32, 00185, Rome, Italy

    G. Mura

Authors
  1. P. Zarattini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Mura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Zarattini.

Additional information

The Lago dell’Orso pond is located in the area affected by the earthquake of August 24, 2016. This manuscript is dedicated to the earthquake victims and to the people who will choose to rebuild their lives there or will visit and enjoy the beauty of the Central Apennines.

Guest editors: Federico Marrone, D. Christopher Rogers, Paola Zarattini & Luigi Naselli-Flores / New Challenges in Anostracan Research: a Tribute to Graziella Mura

G. Mura—Deceased

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zarattini, P., Rossi, V. & Mura, G. Larval identification of two syntopic species Branchipus schaefferi and Tanymastix stagnalis (Crustacea, Anostraca) sheds light on their pattern of coexistence. Hydrobiologia 801, 165–177 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3302-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3302-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation