Daphnia are phenotypically very plastic.
They can increase the size of their filter screens at low food concentrations. They also can alter their morphology, life history and behaviour in response to chemical signals of predators. We use flow-through systems to measure growth rates, threshold food concentrations and fitness at constant food concentrations. We also use the Plankton Towers , a unique mesocosm system, to study processes that are controlled by the vertical structure of a lake. Various aspects of diel vertical migration DVM of zooplankton have been studied in these columns, e.g., the control of DVM by kairomones, trade-offs between food availability and temperature, and the genetic control of migration behaviour.