Up the Rice Field Aquatic Food Web
By Ken W. “Creekman” Davis
As we work up the microscopic aquatic food web in winter-flooded rice fields, most species end up on the menu for water fleas. Of course, water fleas and similar animals are food for young salmon in the Nigiri Project and migrating waterfowl. Water fleas come in a variety of sizes like the two in this image. They are both adults, the larger one has resting eggs under her carapace (shell), the smaller species has two regular eggs under her shell. Both at 40 x magnification
The Video: Larger protozoa in a feeding frenzy due to copious amounts of bacteria as the rice straw decomposition continues.
Ken W. “Creekman” Davis is an aquatic biologist and wildlife photojournalist with more than 30-years experience. His images have been published in more than 4000 different periodicals, newsletters, brochures, encyclopedias and websites.