Re: Daphnia Generations

[Billinet at aol_com]

Hi, Scott,

Healthy daphnia are transparent or off-white.  As conditions worsen they synthesize hemoglobin and get redder and eventually mate sexually and die.  A pale daphniad is an unstressed daphniad but it dooesn't have much of a love life.  Apparently my outdoor daphnia are less stressed than the indoor ones.

Bloodworms (midge larvae) are red becuase of the hemoglobin they carry.

That's an interesting comment that you made about the two sexual mating seasons.  I'd thought just one, but it stands to reason that if it got too warm for them they would go that route.  I'll watch more closely in August.

It would appear then that if they were kept in good conditions all of the time, the entire culture would be the product of asexual reproduction, clones.

I haven't had a crash in the five years or so that I've raised them, knock on wood.  I go from two tubs to four, depending on need, and am not meticulous about keeping them clean.  I've been lucky so far.

Good luck!

Bill