Relationship between sexual reproduction, population growth and resting egg production of freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus
Xi, Y.; Cao, M.; Huang, X.
Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao 13(12): 1649-1654
2002
Accession: 011275839
Using exponential and logistic growth models, the effects of sexual reproduction frequency and the proportion of a female's daughters reproducing sexually on population growth rate and resting egg production of freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus were examined by computer simulation. Within the parameters of the simulation, the percentage of mictic females in the offspring required for maximum resting egg production increased from 9 % to 69 %, when the frequency of sexual reproduction decreased from 100 % to 20 %. The increase of density-dependent limitation (the value of K decreased from 1000 to 100) made this percentage increase from 18 % to 69 %, and resting egg production decrease from 1072.10 to 133.67. The relationship between the population growth rate (r) and the optimum percentage of mictic females in the offspring required for maximum resting egg production was best described by curvilinear regression. When sexual reproduction became more frequent and density-dependent decreased, The population with the percentage of mictic females in the offspring in 10-30 % had a bigger resting egg production.