Zooplankton occupies an important link in pelagic ecosystems as the intermediate trophic link between primary producers and higher predators. However, for most zooplankton species little is known about dietary uptake and precise trophic role within the zooplankton food web. The use of DNA Barcoding is a promising and still underdeveloped approach to provide insight into specific dietary incorporation of individual species of zooplankton and may thus also give information about degree of carnivory or herbivory in different species something also poorly known in most zooplankton. DNA barcoding have been applied successfully on gut content of freshwater cyprinids (Corse, Costedoat et al. 2010) and eel larvae (Riemann, Alfredsson et al. 2010) and thus is a promising tool for also assessing zooplankton diets.
In this project we aim to develop and apply a DNA barcoding method for dietary analysis of individual Baltic Sea zooplankton, specifically we ask: What are the dietary components of key zooplankton during spring summer and autumn and how does this vary over time How large are dietary difference between individuals of the same species? (Is there significant difference in feeding preferences for the same species between time periods?) The field component of this project will take place at the Askö Laboratory. We aim at sampling zooplankton 3-4 times during the summer and fall.
Researchers
Matteo Fusilli (Masterstudent), Jens Nielsen (PhD Student ((Askö Grant)), Monika Winder (Supervisor), Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
