A high‐throughput method to quantify feeding rates in aquatic organisms: A case study withDaphnia
Autor: | Clayton E. Cressler, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, Rachel E. Vetter, Jessica L. Hite |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Ecology (disciplines) Sample (material) exposure rates 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Zooplankton Daphnia Predation 03 medical and health sciences ingestion rates predator–prey lcsh:QH540-549.5 High‐throughput Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Original Research consumer–resource 030304 developmental biology Nature and Landscape Conservation Trophic level 0303 health sciences Herbivore Ecology biology transmission Sampling (statistics) biology.organism_classification aquatic herbivore environmental contaminants feeding rates lcsh:Ecology Biochemical engineering |
Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution Ecology and Evolution, Vol 10, Iss 13, Pp 6239-6245 (2020) |
ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
DOI: | 10.1002/ece3.6352 |
Popis: | Food ingestion is one of the most basic features of all organisms. However, obtaining precise—and high‐throughput—estimates of feeding rates remains challenging, particularly for small, aquatic herbivores such as zooplankton, snails, and tadpoles. These animals typically consume low volumes of food that are time‐consuming to accurately measure.We extend a standard high‐throughput fluorometry technique, which uses a microplate reader and 96‐well plates, as a practical tool for studies in ecology, evolution, and disease biology. We outline technical and methodological details to optimize quantification of individual feeding rates, improve accuracy, and minimize sampling error.This high‐throughput assay offers several advantages over previous methods, including i) substantially reduced time allotments per sample to facilitate larger, more efficient experiments; ii) technical replicates; and iii) conversion of in vivo measurements to units (mL‐1 hr‐1 ind‐1) which enables broad‐scale comparisons across an array of taxa and studies.To evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of our approach, we use the zooplankton, Daphnia dentifera, as a case study. Our results indicate that this procedure accurately quantifies feeding rates and highlights differences among seven genotypes.The method detailed here has broad applicability to a diverse array of aquatic taxa, their resources, environmental contaminants (e.g., plastics), and infectious agents. We discuss simple extensions to quantify epidemiologically relevant traits, such as pathogen exposure and transmission rates, for infectious agents with oral or trophic transmission. Ever tried to accurately quantify feeding rates in aquatic herbivores? It's tedious and slow! We extend and refine a high‐throughput method that is commonplace in other fields but relatively underutilized in ecology and evolutionary biology. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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