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Annual life cycle of the copepod Eucalanus inermis at a coastal upwelling site off Mejillones (23°S), northern Chile

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Abstract

Eucalanus inermis is an abundant species in the eastern tropical and subtropical South Pacific, including the oceanic and coastal waters off Chile and Peru. Its annual life cycle was studied through a time-series sampling (weekly intervals) during 2002, at a fixed coastal station at an upwelling site (Mejillones Bay, 23°S) off northern Chile. The more-or-less continuous occurrence and abundance of naupliar and copepodid stages indicated that the species reproduces during most of the year, with two peaks: one during the austral spring and the other during the summer. Thereafter, an abrupt decline in the population was observed during winter. The abundances of E. inermis copepodids and nauplii were positively correlated with sea surface temperature, suggesting temperature-dependent development and growth during the spring–summer period. Three cohorts could be distinguished during one annual cycle, with generation times >30 days. The estimate of mean weight-specific daily growth (0.12 day−1) is lower than that of other species in the area, but it is consistent with a slower development rate. The distribution of this copepod is associated with the equatorial subsurface waters characterized by low-oxygen content (<0.5 ml l−1). The ascent of this water mass to the near-surface during coastal upwelling in the spring–summer period and the presence of E. inermis adults favor their reproduction and the development of cohorts in the food-rich upwelling environment. The wintertime disappearance of E. inermis from shallow waters is, thus, interpreted as a movement to deep waters (>200 m depth), probably in a lethargic mode, within the oxygen minimum zone in the adjacent oceanic area.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been funded by the FONDAP Program of CONICYT-Chile and is a contribution from the Center of Oceanographic Research in the eastern South Pacific (COPAS). P. Hidalgo was supported by a Graduate Scholarship from CONICYT-Chile. We are grateful to the Universidad de Antofagasta for providing support to carry out the field work and to L. Figueroa, M. Rojo and M. Oliva for their valuable help in the field. We are indebted to two anonymous reviewers, whose comments helped clarify ideas. We also thank A. Davis for revising the MS. This work is a contribution to the GLOBEC-Chile National Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Oceanographic Research in the eastern South Pacific (FONDAP-COPAS), Estación de Biología Marina-Dichato, Departamento de Oceanografía, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160C, Concepción, Chile

    P. Hidalgo, R. Escribano & C. E. Morales

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  1. P. Hidalgo
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  2. R. Escribano
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  3. C. E. Morales
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Correspondence to P. Hidalgo.

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Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin

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Hidalgo, P., Escribano, R. & Morales, C.E. Annual life cycle of the copepod Eucalanus inermis at a coastal upwelling site off Mejillones (23°S), northern Chile. Marine Biology 146, 995–1003 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1487-3

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