Marine Biology Commons^™

Development And Lipid Composition Of The Harpacticoid Copepod Nitocra Spinipes Reared On Different Diets, Gregory M. Weiss, George B. Mcmanus, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

We reared the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes on diets of bacteria, a diatom, or a macroalga, evaluating survivorship and growth in short-term (≤ 1 generation) experiments. Lipid content of the copepods and their diets was measured and used as an index of nutrition. Although growth, survivorship and lipid content of N. spinipes were significantly greater when fed the diatom, which had the highest lipid content of the 3 diets, the copepod was able to develop from egg to adult when fed a lipid- poor bacterial diet. Furthermore, this species was able to go through developmental molts without the addition of …