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JPR Advance Access originally published online on April 26, 2007
Journal of Plankton Research 2007 29(6):553-567; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbm038
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Post-embryonic developmental plasticity of Arctodiaptomus salinus (Copepoda: Calanoida) at different temperatures

Raquel Jiménez-Melero1,*, Gema Parra1, Sami Souissi2 and Francisco Guerrero1

1 Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus las Lagunillas s/n, E-23071 Jaén, Spain 2 Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille-Lille1, CNRS FRE 2816 ELICO, Station Marine 28 avenue Foch, BP 80, F- 62930 Wimereux, France

* Corresponding author: rmelero{at}ujaen.es

Received on December 7, 2006; accepted on April 18, 2007


  Abstract

Ephemeral and semi-permanent saline wetlands undergo frequent unpredictable disturbances such as episodes of high salinity or desiccation. Organisms living in these systems are adapted to survive and develop in very fluctuating and unpredictable conditions and, therefore, could help us to understand life cycle strategies and plasticity in the context of global warming. Arctodiaptomus salinus is a common species occurring in such environments and is often the main constituent of their zooplankton community, which is characterized by low diversity and short trophic webs. Despite the qualitative and quantitative importance of A. salinus in these systems, no attention has been paid to the effect of temperature on its population dynamics. For this reason, variability in post-embryonic development times and stage-specific mortality of A. salinus were studied for the temperature-range over which this species occurs. Mortality was higher in earlier naupliar and first copepodite stages. The highest developmental variability and mortality occurred at the highest temperature. Developmental instability could explain the high variability at high temperatures and the fluctuating speed of development throughout the successive stages. The interaction between mortality and developmental variability might be an important mechanism ensuring persistence of A. salinus populations in these fluctuating and stressing environments.

Communicating editor: R.P. Harris


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