Horizontal Movement of Pale and Red Daphnia magna in Low Oxygen Concentration

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Abstract
The phototactic swimming activity of hemoglobin-poor (6.3 mg Hb/g dry wt) and hemoglobin-rich (115.5 mg Hb/g dry wt) Daphnia in low oxygen concentration at 20 C was studied to evaluate the role of hemoglobin in low oxygen concentration. The swimming speed of pale and red animals was 52.6 ± 12.0 and 53.5 ± 14.7 cm/min, respectively. The total swimming distance of pale animals until the final cessation of antennal and pedal movement toward the light source was constant, approximately 10 m, when exposed to low oxygen concentration (0.075-0.3 ml O₂/liter). However, swimming distance in pale animals increased from 10 m at low oxygen concentrations to more than 100 m at 0.45 ml O₂/liter. Red animals swam a greater distance than pale animals even in very low oxygen concentration and rapidly achieved a greater distance with a very slight increase in oxygen concentration, totaling above 100 m at 0.15 ml O₂/liter. Carbon monoxide-treated red animals showed almost the same swimming activity in relation to oxygen concentration as pale animals. These results indicate that the high concentration of hemoglobin found in Daphnia living in a low oxygen environment plays an important role in swimming activity under low oxygen concentration.

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