Daphnia magna and D. atkinsoni (Crustacea: Cladocera); new records in Scotland

Abstract

The microcrustacea of the inshore shallows of 99 standing waters in the Tayside Region of Scotland have been sampled in the years 1977–1980. Analyses of the samples showed that Daphnia magna was present at six sites, more than doubling the number of known sites in Scotland and Daphnia atkinsoni, previously unrecorded in the north of Britain, was found at one site. D. pulex and D. obtusa generally occurred with these species and at all of the sites the water was chemically rich, presumably a result of nesting and roosting birds. The introduction of these species is believed to have resulted from transport by such birds. Such a three-way relationship may represent a dynamic and rapidly-changing situation, the end product being the complete disappearance of the water-body and its associated fauna.