Editing Daphnia (section)

==Uses==
''Daphnia'' spp. are a popular live food in tropical and marine [[fish keeping]]. They are often fed to tadpoles or small species of amphibians such as the [[African dwarf frog]] (''Hymenochirus boettgeri'').

''Daphnia'' spp. are used in scientific studies as a [[model organism]].<ref name="Altshuler-et-al-2011">{{cite journal | last1=Altshuler | first1=Ianina | last2=Demiri | first2=Bora | last3=Xu | first3=Sen | last4=Constantin | first4=Anna | last5=Yan | first5=Norman D. | last6=Cristescu | first6=Melania E. | title=An Integrated Multi-Disciplinary Approach for Studying Multiple Stressors in Freshwater Ecosystems: ''Daphnia'' as a Model Organism | journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology | publisher=[[Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology]] ([[Oxford University Press|OUP]]) | volume=51 | issue=4 | date=2011-08-27 | issn=1557-7023 | doi=10.1093/icb/icr103 | pages=623–633 | s2cid=205115549 | pmid=21873644| doi-access=free }}</ref> They may be used in certain  environments to test the effects of [[toxin]]s on an [[ecosystem]], which makes them an [[indicator species|indicator genus]], particularly useful because of their short lifespans and reproductive capabilities. Because they are nearly transparent, their internal organs are easy to study in live specimens (e.g. to study the effect of temperature on the heart rate of these [[ectothermic]] organisms). Environmental toxicological testing may be undertaken with researchers assessing mortality rates or metabolic perturbations to evaluate ecological impacts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oliveira Pereira |first=Erico A. |last2=Labine |first2=Lisa M. |last3=Kleywegt |first3=Sonya |last4=Jobst |first4=Karl J. |last5=Simpson |first5=André J. |last6=Simpson |first6=Myrna J. |date=2023-04-01 |title=Daphnia magna sub-lethal exposure to phthalate pollutants elicits disruptions in amino acid and energy metabolism |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X23000395 |journal=Aquatic Toxicology |volume=257 |pages=106432 |doi=10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106432 |issn=0166-445X}}</ref> ''Daphnia'' is also commonly used for experiments to test [[climate change]] aspects, as UVB that seriously damages [[zooplankton]] species (e.g. decrease feeding activity<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fernández|first1=Carla Eloisa|last2=Rejas|first2=Danny|date=2017-04-05|title=Effects of UVB radiation on grazing of two cladocerans from high-altitude Andean lakes|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=12|issue=4|pages=e0174334|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0174334|pmid=28379975|issn=1932-6203|pmc=5381789|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1274334F|doi-access=free}}</ref>).

Because of their thin membranes, which allow [[drug]]s to be absorbed, they are used to monitor the effects of certain drugs, such as adrenaline or capsaicin, on the heart.