Juvenile growth rate equation for the freshwater gammarid Gammarus roeseli

Abstract

The body length increases in Gammarus roeseli starting from different initial body lengths were measured at a range of temperatures in laboratory conditions. As a result, the growth equation of G. roeseli was calculated as: daily growth rate (DGR) = 0.0545 + 0.00143 T - 0.00172 L, where T = temperature and L = length. The mean duration of maturation was calculated as 3.5 months (15 weeks) using the DGR equation. This equation demonstrated that newly hatched larvae with a body size of 2.0 mm in May will grow to 10 mm by the middle of August, while larvae with a body size of 2.0 mm in March will grow to 10 mm by the end of June. Thus, the duration of the growth period varies throughout the year. © 2014 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany.