Sexual reproduction and short-term fitness advantage in the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus： implications for the coexistence of sympatric clones

Large numbers of rotifer eggs from sediment resting egg banks may hatch simultaneously under appropriate conditions; therefore, natural populations are likely to be multiclonal in a growing season. A recent field investigation showed that subordinate and ephemeral clones were able to establish populations in an environment with several strongly dominant clone populations. However, it was not clear how the subordinate populations maintained their growth under these conditions where the crowding signal would induce high levels of sexual reproduction in the dominant clone populations. In the present study, we conducted a continuous passage to 60 generations for new populations at three different temperatures （15~C, 25~C, and 35~C）. These populations emerged from resting eggs produced by a clone population. At the first, 30th, and 60th generations, the populations were sampled and fitness was assayed using the life-table method. We found a significant short-term fitness advantage for populations newly emerged from resting eggs produced by a clone population of the rotifer Brachionus calycifiorus, followed by a significant decrease in relative fitness with long-term continuous passage. Our results suggested that the early short- term fitness advantage was important for later-hatched and subordinate clone populations in an environment with multiple sympatric clones. The early short-term fitness might also promote the coexistence of sympatric clones because it could help to offset the cost of early sexual reproduction.