Dissertation Research: Fitness Trade-Offs for Short-Term Diapause in Synchaeta pectinata

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9623678 Gilbert The goal of this research is to examine dormancy mechanisms and costs associated with different dormancy strategies in the rotifer Synchaeta pectinata, a common member of lake zooplankton communities. For organisms that, like rotifers, are incapable of migrating from their environment, dormancy is commonly employed to allow persistence through inhospitable periods. Cues for entering dormancy (e.g., temperature, food levels, etc.) may often be unreliable, resulting in substantial fitness costs for organisms that either enter dormancy too soon or too late. The freshwater lake environments of S. pectinata are prone to drastic weather-induced changes in basic attributes including water turbulence, temperature, oxygen , pH, nutrient availability. S. pectinata produces short-term dormant eggs in response to food limitation. This strategy is hypothesized to promote survival through short periods of starvation conditions. Dormant egg production varies widely between clonal lines, suggesting multiple strategies for dealing with unpredictable conditions. Research funded by this award will integrate laboratory and field experiments with computer simulations to compare the success of alternate dormancy strategies under different environmental conditions. This research will contribute to our understanding of how the capacity for dormancy can allow populations to persist in variable or temporally risky environments. As zooplankton are a key component of freshwater lake ecosystems, understanding the mechanisms that promote their persistance should enhance the efforts of land use planners and management agencies to manage for watershed health and integrity.