Influence of temperature and food in the growth of Dendrocephalus brasiliensis (Crustacea: Anostraca) in experimental environment

Abstract

Wastewater stabilization ponds are created to minimize the impact of human activities on water bodies adjacent. One of the problems of these systems is the water eutrophication. This problem is not unique to stabilization ponds: lakes and reservoirs also have algal blooms due to the high nutrient input. Dendrocephalus brasiliensis (Anostraca) is a powerful filter feeder. So, it is possible that farming them in eutrophic environments can serve as a mitigation measure in these ecosystems. This study aims to test some of the necessary conditions for this anostracean to develop and complete their life cycle in experimental conditions. We will establish a temperature range ideal for creating in the lab, we will determine filtration rateswhen fed algal species of different sizes and characteristicsNutritional in order to establish the type of feed advantageous in that cultivationanimal. We expect to obtain in this work filtration rates of D. brasiliensis fed with different species of algae, growth rates and survival of different types of food and temperature, desirable characteristics of algae for consumption by D. brasiliensis.