Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Adrian, R.
Right arrow Articles by Frost, T. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Adrian, R.
Right arrow Articles by Frost, T. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH | VOLUME 15 | NUMBER 6 | PAGES 643-658 | 1993
© Oxford University Press

research-article

Omnivory in cyclopoid copepods: comparisons of algae and invertebrates as food for three, differenfly sized species

Rita Adrian1 and Thomas M. Frost

Center for Limnology, 680 N. Park Street Madison, WI 53706, USA 1Present address: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Zoologie Königin-Luise Str. 1-3, D-1000 Berlin 33, FRG

Received on September 1, 1992; accepted on January 26, 1993 We examined the importance of algal versus invertebrate prey for three cyclopoid copepods by comparing reproductive success for females fed on three diets: exclusively algal food, exclusively invertebrate prey and a combination of algal plus invertebrate prey. The three cyclopoid species represent a distinct gradient in body size: Tropocyclops prasinus mexicanus (small body size), Diacyclops thomasi (medium body size) and Mesocyclops edax (large body size). Our results provide strong evidence for the potential importance of algae in the diet of adult cyclopoid copepods. However, the role of herbivory is dependent on species body size. We found that algae are the key dietary factor for reproductive success of the small T.p.mexicanus. In contrast, the availability of invertebrate prey had a greater influence on reproduction by the two larger species. Overall, cyclopoid copepods should be generally considered as having the potential to derive their energy from either animal or algal sources. This has important consequences for interpretations of the forces influencing zooplankton community diversity as well as for general food web theory.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J PLANKTON RESHome page
M. d. G. G. Melao and O. Rocha
Life history, biomass and production of two planktonic cyclopoid copepods in a shallow subtropical reservoir
J. Plankton Res., August 1, 2004; 26(8): 909 - 923.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J PLANKTON RESHome page
S. Mohr, D. Gerten, and R. Adrian
Minimal algal food requirements in the presence of protozoan prey for the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus
J. Plankton Res., July 1, 2002; 24(7): 723 - 728.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J PLANKTON RESHome page
H.-K. Kang, S. Poulet, A. Lacoste, and Y. J. Kang
A laboratory study of the effect of non-phytoplankton diets on the reproduction of Calanus helgolandicus
J. Plankton Res., November 1, 2000; 22(11): 2171 - 2179.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.