Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Copepod Feeding Strategy Determines Response To Seawater Viscosity: Videography Study Of Two Calanoid Copepod Species, Abigail Tyrell

SoMAS Research Data

Calanoid copepods, depending on feeding strategy, have different behavioral and biological controls on their movements, thereby responding differently to environmental conditions such as changes in seawater viscosity. To understand how copepod responses to environmental conditions are mediated through physical, physiological, and/or behavioral pathways, we used high-speed microvideography to compare two copepod species, Acartia hudsonica and Parvocalanus crassirostris, under different temperature, viscosity, and dietary conditions. Acartia hudsonica exhibited “sink and wait” feeding behavior and typically responded to changes in seawater viscosity; increased seawater viscosity reduced particle-capture behavior and decreased the size of the feeding current. In contrast, P. crassirostris continuously …