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Predation of calanoid copepods on their own and other copepods’ offspring

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Abstract

Predation of eggs and nauplii by adult copepods is often used to explain unexpected death rates in population dynamics studies, but the phenomenon has been rarely investigated or quantified. Therefore, we studied the predatory feeding of adult females (Acartia clausi, Centropages hamatus, Centropages typicus, and Temora longicornis) on their own and other species’ eggs and young nauplii with different densities of single animal-prey, mixtures of animal-prey and in the presence of diatoms. All species preyed on eggs and nauplii of their own and all other species. Maximal egg predation varied between 7 and 64 eggs fem−1 day−1. Ingestion of Centropages spp. eggs was lowest, potentially due to the spiny egg surface. Maximal feeding rates on nauplii ranged from 5 to 45 nauplii fem−1 day−1. T. longicornis preferred eggs, when eggs and nauplii were offered together at the same densities, and the other predators selected for nauplii. At a diatom concentration of 60 μg C l−1 predation on eggs by C. typicus was higher than without algae, whereas A. clausi and T. longicornis did not change their uptake of eggs. Feeding on nauplii in the presence of diatoms was again enhanced in C. typicus, and unaffected in A. clausi and C. hamatus. T. longicornis reduced its feeding on nauplii in the presence of diatoms. Calculated predation rates, using field abundances of predators and prey, suggest that predation of copepods on their own young stages may account for ca. 30 % of total mortality of young stages in North Sea copepod populations.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support by the staff of the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, who provided laboratory rooms, technical equipment, laboratory assistance and discussions; especially K. H. Wiltshire, S. Knotz, C. B. Augustin and K. Bickmeyer. Thanks to the crew of RV Aade for plankton sampling. Also thanks to J. Renz, R. Schwamborn and T. Brey for critical comments and statistical help. This study was part of the GLOBEC-Germany program (03F0320C) and was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Postfach 180, 27483, Helgoland, Germany

    Maarten Boersma

  2. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Anne Wesche & Hans-Jürgen Hirche

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  1. Maarten Boersma
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  2. Anne Wesche
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  3. Hans-Jürgen Hirche
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Correspondence to Maarten Boersma.

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Communicated by U. Sommer.

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Boersma, M., Wesche, A. & Hirche, HJ. Predation of calanoid copepods on their own and other copepods’ offspring. Mar Biol 161, 733–743 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2373-7

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