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Comparison of four methods to estimate meiobenthic copepod Amonardia normani ingestion rates

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Abstract

Four different methods were used in the control conditions of laboratory to estimate the ingestion rate of a female meiobenthic harpacticoid copepod Amonardia normani: (1) reduction of algal biomass, (2) the quantification of total pigments in fecal pellets, (3) the gut fluorescence method, (4) the percentage of assimilation and the total egestion rate. The food used during all experiments was the diatom Nitzschia constricta in an axenic condition at the concentration of 0.13 μg Chl-a mL−1 at stationary growth phase. All experiments were made at 20 °C and 30 salinity. All tested methods excepted the quantification of total pigments in fecal pellets resulted in similar estimatives. The gut fluorescence method indicated that during the day gut contents are smaller than during the night but the gut passage time was faster, resulting in similar ingestion rates during the day and the night. The reduction of algal biomass and the percentage of assimilation and the total egestion rate also indicated similar ingestion rates in the day and in the night. The daily ingestion rate represents 107 % of female carbon weight per day (903 ng C cop−1day−1).

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the European Project Coastal Lagoon Eutrophication and Anaerobic Processes (CLEAN) and the first author had a grant of CAPES (Brazil). The first author acknowledges the anonymous referees, Paulo J. P. Santos and Xabier Irigoyen for help.

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Author notes

  1. Lília Pereira de Souza Santos

    Present address: Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, CTG, Recife, PE, 50670-420, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d ‘Oceanographie Biologique, Université Bordeaux I, 33120, Arcachon, France

    Lília Pereira de Souza Santos & Jacques Castel

Authors
  1. Lília Pereira de Souza Santos
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  2. Jacques Castel
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Correspondence to Lília Pereira de Souza Santos.

Additional information

Communicated by S. A. Poulet.

Jacques Castel: in memorian.

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de Souza Santos, L.P., Castel, J. Comparison of four methods to estimate meiobenthic copepod Amonardia normani ingestion rates. Mar Biol 160, 2395–2404 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2234-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2234-4

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