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JPR Advance Access published online on November 22, 2005
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbi090
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received May 12, 2005
Accepted October 20, 2005

Article

The role of feeding behavior in sustaining copepod populations in the tropical ocean

J. D. Wiggert 1 *, A. G. E. Haskell 2, G.-A. Paffenhöfer 3, E. E. Hofmann 4, and J. M. Klinck 4

1 Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23508-2026.
2 Research Systems, Inc., 4990 Pearl East Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
3 Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411
4 Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23508-2026

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. D. Wiggert, E-mail: jwiggert{at}ccpo.odu.edu


  Abstract

A fundamental question regarding marine copepods is how the many species co-exist and persist in the oligotrophic environment (i.e., Hutchinson’s paradox). This question is addressed with a stochastic, object-oriented Lagrangian model that explicitly simulates the distinct foraging behaviors of three prominent tropical species: Clausocalanus furcatus, Paracalanus aculeatus, and Oithona plumifera. The model also individually tracks all prey cells. Each particle’s motion combines sinking, turbulent diffusion, and active swimming when applicable. The model successfully simulates observed size-partitioned carbon uptake rates. Based on the model results, the wide-ranging translational ambit employed by C. furcatus is best suited for the acquisition of passive prey while the relatively stationary behavior of O. plumifera promotes the capture of larger, quickly sinking cells. The model results further suggest that the slow velocities and feeding current employed by P. aculeatus are best suited for acquiring the smallest cells though it also has a slight advantage over C. furcatus in acquiring the largest prey. A resource threshold, at a prey concentration of 530 cells mL-1, is consistently exhibited by all three modeled species. Overall, these results imply that the size partition preferences due to their different foraging behavior contribute to the coexistence of these three species.

Communicating Editor: RP Harris
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J. D. Wiggert, E. E. Hofmann, and G.-A. Paffenhofer
A modelling study of developmental stage and environmental variability effects on copepod foraging
ICES J. Mar. Sci., April 1, 2008; 65(3): 379 - 398.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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