Continuous cultures, i.e. chemostats with an continuous dilution rate, are model ecosystems for the study of general regulation principles in plankton communities. Further to an introduction, general continuous culture methods and especially the characteristics of rotifer continuousculture systems are presented. Sections on metabolism and energetics in chemostats, growth models, competition and predator-prey interactions, as well as the application of rotifer continuous cultures to ecotoxicology and their use in aquaculture are included.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 1.1 Systems Approach to Natural and Artificial Plankton Communities by Continuous Cultures.- 2. General Continuous Culture Methods.- 2.1 Semicontinuous Culture Methods.- 2.2 Methods of Single- and Two-Stage Chemostat Experiments.- 2.3 Rotifer Culture in the Turbidostat.- 3 Characteristics of Rotifer Continuous Culture Systems.- 3.1 The Growth of Brachionus rubens in Semicontinuous Culture.- 3.2 Single-Stage Predator-Prey Algal-Rotifer Chemostat Culture.- 3.3 Characteristics of Two-Stage Chemostat Cultures of Brachionus angularis.- 3.4 Turbidostat Culture of Brachionus calyciflorus: An Experimental System to Assess Biological Limits on Population Growth.- 4 Metabolism and Energetics in Chemostats.- 4.1 Carbon Metabolism and Population Dynamics of Brachionus angularis and Keratella cochlearis.- 4.2 Elements of Energy Balance of Brachionus angularis.- 4.3 Steady-State Growth and Carbon Metabolism of Brachionus rubens and B. calyciflorus.- 5 Growth Models of Rotifers.- 5.1 Regulation Models in Rotifer Chemostats.- 5.2 Comparison of Ecological and Microbial Growth Models.- 6 Competition and Life History Strategies of Rotifers.- 6.1 Use of Semicontinuous Culture Methods for Examining Competitive Outcome Between Two Freshwater Rotifers (Genus Brachionus) Growing on a Single Algal Resource.- 6.2 Rotifers and Continuous Culture Techniques: Model Systems for Testing Mechanistic Concepts of Consumer-Resource Interactions.- 6.3 Life History Strategies of Rotifers.- 7 Ecological, Ecotoxicological and Aquacultural Significance of Continuous Culture Experiments.- 7.1 Critical Consideration of Chemostat Experiments.- 7.2 Chemostat Regulation Principles in Natural Plankton Communities.- 7.3 Application of Rotifer Continuous Cultures to Ecotoxicology.- 7.4 Use of Rotifer Chemostats in Aquaculture.- 8 Epilogue.- References.