Photo: Paul Hebert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
I am going to issue a warning before getting into the details of today’s Wild Fact.\u00a0 If you love swimming in lakes or perhaps like drinking fresh lake water while camping then you may want to skip today’s fact.\u00a0 Still here?\u00a0 Well that is great because we are going learn about one of the many types of zoo-plankton that can be found in lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.\u00a0 This particular fact is about the ever popular, Daphnia.<\/p>\n
Daphnia are also called “water fleas” although they are not closely related to fleas or insects for that matter.\u00a0 Daphnia are actually crustaceans.\u00a0 Yes just like lobster and crabs.\u00a0 Okay, maybe not just like them but the same taxonomic group.\u00a0 These water fleas tend to be anywhere between 0.2 – 5 mm (0.008 – 0.2″) long and can be found just about any place that has water.<\/p>\n
Just because these “fleas” are tiny does not mean they are not important to the ecosystem.\u00a0 The majority of Daphnia are filter feeders which means they will actually clean the lakes by feeding on algae and bacteria. As well, they provide a valuable service to larger members of the food chain such as fish.\u00a0 Unfortunately, they have to sacrifice their life to provide this important service to the ecosystem.<\/p>\n
I understand that it is difficult to see Daphnia as animals since they are tiny and mysterious but the truth is they aren’t that different from other animals. They have legs, antennae, eyes and even a nervous system.\u00a0 In fact, scientists often study Daphnia to assess the effects of depressants on the nervous system.\u00a0 They are a great resource since they are clear which allows you to actually see the heart-rate. I wonder if a Daphnia has ever won the Nobel Prize for their research work?\u00a0 Nah, probably not!<\/p>\n
Before we end today’s fact, I just want you to think that it is possible to have as many as 100 000 of these “water fleas” per cubic meter in the Great Lakes.\u00a0 Even more astonishing is this is only one type of zoo-plankton!\u00a0 There are many more which are even tinier.\u00a0 This might make you think twice before you take that big gulp of fresh lake water.<\/p>\n
Enjoy the rest of your day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am going to issue a warning before getting into the details of today’s Wild Fact.\u00a0 If you love swimming in lakes or perhaps like drinking fresh lake water while camping then you may want to skip today’s fact.\u00a0 Still here?\u00a0 Well that is great because we are going learn about one of the many types of zoo-plankton that can be found in lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.\u00a0 This particular fact is about the ever popular, Daphnia. Daphnia are also called “water fleas” although they are not closely related to fleas or insects for that matter.\u00a0 Daphnia are actually crustaceans.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4024],"tags":[348,226,661,664,4025,663,665,666,258,662],"yoast_head":"\n
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