Effects of lithium on the survival,growth,and reproduction of Daphniopsis tibetana Sars(Crustacea:Cladocera)

We evaluated the effects of lithium on the survival,growth,and reproduction of D.tibetana in the laboratory.The safe concentration value was 69.3 mg/L.The time to first brood was significant lower for individuals reared in 5 and 10 mg/L(24.4 and 24.0 d,respectively) compared with individuals reared in20,40,or 60 mg/L.Females reared in 5 mg/L lithium produced a mean of 16.5 neonates/brood and had the highest number of broods(3.0±1.95).The rate of egg production(a),the intrinsic rate of increase(r),net reproduction rate(R),and finite rate of increase(λ) were highest for D.tibetana reared at 5 and 10 mg/L lithium,and the duration of development was shorter than for the remaining groups.The results indicated that rearing in 5-10 mg/L lithium can accelerate the growth and reproduction of D.tibetana.