JPR Advance Access published online on September 20, 2007
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbm071
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Growth and feeding rates of the newly-hatched larval ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz (Ctenophora, Lobata)
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, USA
* Corresponding author Current address: Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University, 3152 Paradise Drive Tiburon, CA 94920, 415 435-7127. Email: ljswr{at}sfsu.edu
Received on August 2, 2007; revised on August 14, 2007; accepted on September 14, 2007
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Abstract |
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Mnemiopsis leidyi larvae depend on microplankton (<200 µm) prey during the first few days following hatching until larvae are >0.5 mm in length and can successfully capture and consume mesozooplankton prey. Feeding and growth rates of newly-hatched M. leidyi larvae were measured in controlled laboratory experiments. When fed natural microplankton assemblages, newly-hatched larvae consumed significant quantities of both autotrophic and heterotrophic prey, including diatoms, phototrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic dinoflagellates, euglenoid flagellates, aloricate and tintinnid ciliates, and rotifers. Average per capita clearance rates were 1.99 to 7.59 mL individual–1 h–1 (
= 4.01 mL individual–1 h–1; SD = 1.95) and total per capita ingestion was 0.01 to 4.70 µg C individual–1 d–1 x 102 (= 0.83 µg C individual–1d–1 x 102; SD = 1.89). Larval growth rates were -0.13 to 0.56 mm individual–1 d–1 (equivalent to -1.72 to 4.33 µg C individual–1 d–1) over a range of larval sizes from 0.5 mm (<0.5 µg C ) to 5 mm (85 µg C). A diet consisting entirely of microplankton prey supported larval growth for >2 weeks, and growth rate decreased when larvae reached 4-5 mm in length, corresponding to the beginning of their morphological transition from tentaculate to lobate feeding mode. The gross growth efficiency of larvae fed natural microplankton assemblages was 
3%.
Key Words: Mnemiopsis leidyi • Ctenophore • Larvae • Feeding • Growth
Communicating Editor: K.J. Flynn
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