The effects of fish kairomones, crowding chemicals, and day length on the l
ife-history traits of a set of 16 Daphnia magna clones, derived from four p
opulations that differ in fish-predation pressure, were studied. Significan
t among-population differences were observed, the differences being in conc
ordance with the hypothesis of local adaptation. The among-population genet
ic differences were not mediated through a change in response to fish kairo
mones, but through an overall smaller body size, smaller eggs, and a higher
number of eggs in clones derived from habitats in which fish are present.
Using a model, we show that the observed changes in life-history characteri
stics may lead to differences in fitness under different predation regimes,
such that populations from habitats with fish have highest fitness under f
ish-predation regimes and populations without a fish background have higher
fitness values under invertebrate predation regimes.