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JPR Advance Access published online on October 12, 2006
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbl057
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received May 7, 2006
Accepted October 3, 2006

Article

Seasonal abundance and reproduction of clausocalanid copepods in the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea)

A. Cornils 1 *, B. Niehoff 2, C. Richter 3, T. Al-Najjar 4, and S. B. Schnack-Schiel 2

1 Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, 27515 Bremerhaven, Germany; Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
2 Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, 27515 Bremerhaven, Germany
3 Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
4 Marine Science Station, University of Jordan and Yarmouk University, Aqaba, Jordan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
A. Cornils, E-mail: acornils{at}awi-bremerhaven.de


  Abstract

Clausocalanid copepods dominate subtropical mesozooplankton communities. Their life cycles, however, are generally unknown. Here, we follow the seasonal population development and reproductive biology of Red Sea clausocalanids in the northern Gulf of Aqaba, between February 2002 and December 2003. Monthly vertical hauls taken with a Nansen net (200 µm mesh size) between 100 m and the surface revealed four species, including a new record (Clausocalanus minor) for the area. Ctenocalanus vanus abundances peaked during winter and spring, followed by Clausocalanus farrani peaking in spring and additionally, in June 2003. In 2002, the abundance of C. furcatus showed no distinct seasonal development of abundance, whereas in 2003, it reached high densities in January, July and November. Overall, Ctenocalanus vanus dominated the clausocalanid community during the first, and Clausocalanus furcatus during the second half of the year, whereas the percentage of C. farrani remained fairly stable throughout both years. The correlation between the environmental parameters (temperature and chlorophyll a concentration) and the proportion of mature gonads was significant only between Ctenocalanus vanus and temperature. Incubation experiments showed that egg production rates varied between 0-3.3 and 1.8-9.2 eggs female-1 d-1 in C. farrani and C. furcatus, respectively. Endoparasitism by dinoflagellates and the occurrence of intersexes was found in all three species, with C. farrani being the most affected.

Communicating Editor: RP Harris


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