THE gregarines of Gammarus pulex L. have long been known, in fact they were some of the earliest of these Sporozoa to be observed (Text-figs. 1-3). However,.so far, no adequate description has been given of the gametes and spores which are the most important stages from the systematic point of view. Lady Muriel Percy, who worked in this Department from 1925 to 1929, helped in the investigation ...

1. Reduced metabolic rate among cave organisms compared with surface species has long been suggested as an adaptation to food shortage in cave environments. However, comparisons of metabolic rates between species have not often included closely related surface and cave species. By measuring metabolic rate across three seasons and over a range of body sizes, we examined the hypothesis that the r...

This is an investigation of the impact of salinity on transovarial transmission and burden of a microsporidian sex ratio distorter in the inter-tidal crustacean Gammarus duebeni. Exposure of parasitized mothers to increased salinity during the gonotrophic cycle caused an increase in parasite burden in the follicle cells and a decrease in burden in the oocytes. It appears that salinity impedes p...

Calanus finmarchicus, the dominant mesozooplankter of the North Atlantic, is an important food source for many fishes and other planktivores. This species, which has limited diel vertical migration, depends on its fast-start escape response to evade predators. It has myelinated neuronal axons, which contribute to its rapid and powerful escape response. The thermal environment that C. finmarchic...

As a consequence of global warming, it is important to characterise the potential changes occurring for some functional processes through the intra-specific study of key species. Changes in species distribution, particularly when key or engineer species are affected, should contribute to global changes in ecosystem functioning. In this study, we examined the potential consequences induced by gl...

The exoskeleton of arthropods forms an efficient protection against pathogens, but this first line of defence is periodically weakened during ecdysis, increasing the opportunity for surrounding pathogens to invade the body cavity. Since the richness of pathogens in the environment can be spatially and temporally variable, arthropods may have a fitness advantage in moulting in a place and time o...

Amphipods are keystone species in many freshwater ecosystems. Understanding their distribution and diversity is crucial to ensure and preserve freshwater ecosystem functioning, particularly in the northern hemisphere. For the European Alps information on amphipods has been relatively limited until recently. We describe a new, widely distributed amphipod species, Gammarus alpinus sp. nov., found...

1. Accumulation of organic material by the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is assumed to be the source of a biodeposition-based food web. However, only little is known about the importance of the biodeposited material as a food source and its contribution to increased abundances of macroinvertebrates in the presence of D. polymorpha. 2. Feeding, assimilation and growth of the amphipods Gammar...

BACKGROUND Focusing on feeding as an endpoint in ecotoxicological studies is a useful and sensitive tool to detect sub-lethal impacts on individual organisms with relevance to higher levels of organisation (i.e. population and ecosystem levels). We conducted a series of experiments to identify and quantify the influence of parasite infection and food source, food quality, body size and acclimat...