Competition in natural populations of Daphnia

Abstract

I investigated the competitive relationships between two species of Daphnia, D. galeata and D. cucullata, and their interspecific hybrid. The term hemispecific competition was introduced to describe competition between parental species and hybrids. In eutrophic Tjeukemeer both parental species were found to compete with the hybrid, whereas competition between D. galeata and D. cucullata seemed limited. Although the effect of competition on life history traits of daphnids may be profound, the influence of the competitors on the seasonal dynamics of the Daphnia species seems limited. [KEYWORDS: COEXISTENCE, HYBRID, COMPETITION, DAPHNIA, HEMISPECIFIC]