Influence of the concentration of oxygen on the swimming path of Brachionus plicatilis (Rotifera)

Brachionus plicatilis females were maintained for > 24 hours in water where the concentration of oxygen was precisely controlled (spherical flasks with ≥ 6 mg 1−1 or < 0.5 mg 1−1; food = dead Tetraselmis sp.). Each female was randomly taken from one flask and quickly placed in an observation chamber containing the same experimental conditions. The swimming path was videotaped (5 minutes); then the size of the female was measured. The tape was analyzed by automatic tracking (25 x, y coordinates of the center of the animal, in a 512 × 512 pixels space). The swimming path was analyzed for ~45 females in both treatments. The speed (mm s−1 body length−1) was calculated for all trajectories, or o…