We present a work-in-progress computer vision system for detecting behavioral changes of Daphnia magna under the influence of Silver-nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in water systems. We invented a hardware set up that is able to track multiple Daphnia automatically in concordance with the OECD guideline for Daphnia. Our software design and first image results of the computer vision system are represente...

Nanowires (NWs) have unique electrical and optical properties of value for many applications including lighting, sensing, and energy harnessing. Consumer products containing NWs increase the risk of NWs being released in the environment, especially into aquatic ecosystems through sewage systems. Daphnia magna is a common, cosmopolitan freshwater organism sensitive to toxicity tests and represen...

In this study we use statistical validation techniques to verify density-dependent mechanisms hypothesized for populations of Daphnia magna. We develop structured population models that exemplify specific mechanisms and use multi-scale experimental data in order to test their importance. We show that fecundity and survival rates are affected by both time-varying density-independent factors, suc...

We report on the first silica encapsulation of a metazoan (Daphnia magna), with a high initial viability (96% of the population remained active 48 h after encapsulation). Moreover, the co-encapsulation of this crustacean and microalgae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) was achieved, creating inside a silica monolith, the smallest microcosm developed to present. This artificial ecosystem in a gr...

We present the first 3.315-Mbp assembled draft genome sequence of Flavobacterium succinicans strain DD5b. This bacterium is a phosphite-assimilating representative of the genus Flavobacterium isolated from guts of the zooplankton Daphnia magna.

We report the draft genome sequence of Serratia sp. strain DD3, a gammaproteobacterium from the family Enterobacteriaceae. It was isolated from homogenized guts of Daphnia magna. The genome size is 5,274 Mb.

Structured population models that make the assumption of constant demographic rates do not accurately describe the complex life histories seen in many species. We investigated the accuracy of using constant versus time-varying mortality rates within discrete and continuously structured models for Daphnia magna. We tested the accuracy of the models we considered using density-independent surviva...

In Daphnia (Cladocera, Crustacea), parthenogenetic reproduction alternates with sexual reproduction. Individuals of both sexes that belong to the same parthenogenetic line are genetically identical, and their sex is determined by the environment. Previously, non-male producing (NMP) genotypes have been described in species of the Daphnia pulex group. Such genotypes can only persist through phas...

BACKGROUND To better understand the potential ecotoxicological impacts of silver nanoparticles released into freshwater environments, the Daphnia magna 48-hour immobilization test was used. METHODS The toxicities of silver nitrate, two types of colloidal silver nanoparticles, and a suspension of silver nanoparticles were assessed and compared using standard OECD guidelines. Also, the swimming...

The water flea, Daphnia, has been the subject of study in ecology, evolution, and environmental sciences for decades. Over the last few years, expressed sequence tags and a genome sequence have been determined. In addition, functional approaches of overexpression and gene silencing based on microinjection of RNAs into eggs have been established. However, the transient nature of these approaches...