The influence of food limitation on swarming behaviour in the waterflea Bosmina longispina

Abstract Bosmina longispina showed a high degree of overdispersal in nature, which drastically reduced the local amount of food within the swarms. In experiments, swarming behaviour occurred only in the light and when food was abundant. In darkness and when food was limiting, B. longispina were more evenly distributed. If swarming prey individuals benefit from a reduced predation risk, the swarming behaviour of B. longispina can be interpreted as an adaptive diurnal rhythm in the trade-off between reducing risk of predation and maximizing feeding rate. Maximal feeding seems to have priority over passive avoidance mechanisms such as swarming when the risk of starvation is high.

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