JPR Advance Access originally published online on December 6, 2006
Journal of Plankton Research 2007 29(Supplement 1):i117-i133; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbl071
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Effects of salinity and temperature on the post-embryonic development of Eurytemora affinis (Copepoda; Calanoida) from the Seine estuary: a laboratory study
1 Ecosystem Complexity Research Group, Station Marine de Wimereux, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, CNRS—UMR 8013 ELICO, 28 Avenue Foch, BP 80, F-62930 Wimereux, France 2 Laboratoire d'Ecotoxicologie—Milieux Aquatique (LEMA), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université du Havre, 76058 Le Havre Cedex, BP 540, France
* Corresponding author: sami.souissi{at}univ-lille1.fr
Received on January 10, 2006; accepted on October 30, 2006
 |
Abstract |
|---|
The species complex Eurytemora affinis is the most common calanoid copepod of northern-hemisphere estuaries. In the oligo- and meso-haline zones (salinity 2.5–25) of the Seine estuary, E. affinis reaches very high concentrations between March and June when temperature varies between 10 and 15°C. To understand the population dynamics of E. affinis in the Seine estuary, we investigated the effect of a combination of temperatures (10–15°C) and salinities (5, 15 and 25) on its post-embryonic development. To take into account the individual variability, copepods were observed individually. Post-embryonic development time varies as a function of temperature and salinity and showed high individual variability. The increase in temperature from 10 to 15°C decreased the mean post-embryonic development time from 24 to 17 days. Increase in development time and mortality at salinity of 25 at both temperatures suggests that these conditions were the most stressful of those tested. No significant difference in development time or mortality was discerned between salinities of 5 and 15. In general, mortality was higher for copepodid stages than for naupliar stages. The individual variability increased during the development and was also very high: some individuals develop faster at salinity 25 than others at salinities of 5 and 15. Moreover, the distributions of the molting probability fitted well with a gamma density function, and thus we suggest this adjustment in models of population dynamics of copepods to tighten up the method of capturing individual variability. The population of E. affinis from the Seine estuary showed a faster development rate than conspecific populations from other estuaries at similar experimental temperatures and salinities. The responses of the post-embryonic development time to salinity and temperature show that E. affinis is well adapted to the low salinity zone of the estuary but can also survive at higher salinities.
Communicating editor: K.J. Flynn
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  D. Devreker, S. Souissi, J. C. Molinero, and F. Nkubito Trade-offs of the copepod Eurytemora affinis in mega-tidal estuaries: insights from high frequency sampling in the Seine estuary J. Plankton Res., December 1, 2008; 30(12): 1329 - 1342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|