Relationship between the energy status of Daphnia magna and its sensitivity to environmental stress

This work tested the hypothesis that animals with a high energy status are more successful in dealing with stress than animals with a low energy status. Daphnids (Daphnia magna) were reared for 2 weeks in four different concentrations of food. Survival was not affected by food supply, and growth and reproduction increased with increasing food ration. This increase correlated well with the energy status, as was measured by scope for growth on day 15. After 2 weeks, the daphnids in the four different food ration groups were exposed for another 2 weeks to a range of increased salinities or cadmium concentrations, while remaining in their respective food concentrations. In the salinity groups, survival, growth, or reproduction were not influenced at low salinities. Exposure to higher salinity significantly decreased survival and reproduction, but this decrease was more pronounced in the highest food concentrations. In the cadmium exposed daphnids, cadmium content increased with increasing exposure concentrations, but accumulation was independent of food rations. Cadmium exposure significantly decreased survival, growth, and reproduction and this decrease again was more pronounced with increasing food concentration. Thus, the high energy status of the daphnids from the high food concentrations at the start of the exposure did not provide an increased capacity to cope with additional stress. Instead, the sensitivity of the daphnids to stress increased with increasing food ration. This increased sensitivity is likely to be the result of a change in life history from emphasizing survival at low food supply to stressing reproduction at high food supply.