Daphnia pulicaria | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Branchiopoda |
Order: | Anomopoda |
Family: | Daphniidae |
Genus: | Daphnia |
Subgenus: | Daphnia |
Species: | D. pulicaria
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Binomial name | |
Daphnia pulicaria Forbes, 1893
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Daphnia pulicaria is a species of freshwater crustaceans found within the genus of Daphnia, which are often called "water fleas," and they are commonly used as model organisms for scientific research.[1] Like other species of Daphnia, they reproduce via cyclic parthenogenesis.[2] D. pulicaria are filter-feeders with a diet primarily consisting of algae, including Ankistrodesmus falcatus, and they can be found in deep lakes located in temperate climates.[3] Furthermore, D. pulicaria are ecologically important herbivorous zooplankton, which help control algal populations and are a source of food for some fish.[4] D. pulicaria are closely related to Daphnia pulex, and numerous studies have investigated the nature and strength of this relationship because these species can produce Daphnia pulex-pulicaria hybrids.[5] In recent years, D. pulicaria along with other Daphnia species have been negatively affected by invasive predators, such as Bythotrephes longimanus.[6]