Method for hatching resting eggs from tropical zooplankton: effects of drying or exposing to low temperatures before incubation

AIM: In this study we tested the effects of drying or refrigerating (4 °C) cladoceran resting eggs from a tropical aquatic system on the hatching rates and time to hatching, in order to determine what conditions should or should not be applied to break dormancy in tropical cladocerans; METHODS: Resting eggs from two cladoceran species were isolated from the sediment of a coastal lagoon and exposed to drying conditions or low temperatures for four months before incubation under control conditions; RESULTS: For Moina micrura, drying as well as refrigerating eggs reduced the proportion of eggs hatched, but refrigeration also reduced the time to hatching. For Diaphanosoma birgei, refrigeration had no effects either in the proportion of eggs hatched or in time to hatching. Drying resting eggs of D. birgei resulted in no hatchlings after re-hydration; CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the pre-exposure of tropical cladoceran resting eggs to low temperatures might not be necessary to break dormancy. Additionally, cooling might even reduce the hatching rates of some species. We suggest that tropical cladoceran resting eggs might be incubated soon after sampling the sediment or, if a period for breaking dormancy is required, they should be better kept under dark and at room temperature conditions.