Spatial variations in reproductive characteristics of the small copepod Oithona similis in the Barents Sea

Dvoretsky, Vladimir G.; Dvoretsky, Alexander G.

doi:10.3354/meps08085

Cited by 23 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In general, our maximum weight-specific eggproduction rates are in good agreement with previous studies in high-latitude environments at temperatures similar to ours (Ward & Hirst 2007, Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky 2009b. Surprisingly, we found that the egg-production efficiency (i.e.…”

Section: Egg Production Rates and Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 82%

“…) are within the range of the lowest values reported in earlier studies on the same species from lower (Castellani et al 2005a, Ward & Hirst 2007 and similar (Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky 2009b) latitudes.…”

Section: Egg Production Rates and Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 73%

“…0 to 67% reported by Ward & Hirst [2007] and 22 to 52% by Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky [2009b]). The maximum percentage of ovigerous females (56%) was observed at the end of May (post-bloom) and was close to the maximum values reported for O. similis in the Southern Ocean (67%; Ward & Hirst 2007).…”

Section: Egg Production Rates and Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 98%

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Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Zamora-Terol¹,

Nielsen²,

Saiz³

2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis is one of the most abundant copepods in the oceans and has a potentially important role in pelagic food webs. However, there is a lack of knowledge on aspects of its biology and function in planktonic communities. In the present study, we aimed to assess and compare the species' trophic role in Greenlandic coastal waters during the winter-spring transition, with a focus on its winter behaviour, when large calanoids are not present in the surface layer. Two locations were studied: waters offshore from Godthåbsfjord (Nuuk) in winter, and Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Bay) in spring (bloom and post-bloom period). The potential prey of adult females of O. similis was quantified, and grazing experiments were conducted to determine the feeding rates of adult females on phytoplankton and protozooplankton >10 μm. The abundance, stage composition, and egg production of O. similis was also investigated. Ciliates were the preferred prey for O. similis, which confirms its importance as a link between the microbial food web and higher trophic levels. We observed high egg production rates and efficiencies of O. similis in winter, confirming that it is active and successfully reproductive in food-limited winter conditions. Our results stress that O. similis is a key component of Arctic and subarctic marine communities throughout the year.KEY WORDS: Oithona similis · Trophic role · Egg production · Greenland · Winter · Bloom · Arctic Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 483: [85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102] 2013 of Greenland (Head et al. 2003, Thor et al. 2005, Madsen et al. 2008, and within the genus, Oithona similis is a cosmopolitan species. Oithona spp. have been described to have year-round presence (Hansen et al. 2004) and reproductive activity (Nielsen & Sabatini 1996, Ward & Hirst 2007, and it has been argued that these copepods can exploit microbial food webs more efficiently than calanoid copepods (Nielsen & Sabatini 1996), characteristics that make Oithona spp. populations more stable in time and space than those of calanoid copepods (Paffenhöfer 1993). Consequently, Oithona spp. could be important food sources for fish larvae and larger zooplankton, especially in those periods of the year when other potential prey are not available.Regarding Arctic marine environments, only few studies on the biology of Oithona spp. have been published , Ward & Hirst 2007, Madsen et al. 2008, Narcy et al. 2009), and even less is known about their feeding ecology. It has been reported that Oithona similis prefer motile prey, especially ciliates (Nakamura & Turner 1997, Lonsdale et al. 2000, Castellani et al. 2005a, although many aspects of their natural diet are still unknown. Thus, our knowledge on their feeding activity in winter in high-latitude environments is almost nonexistent since most of the studies have focused on more productive periods of the year (Atkinson 1996, Møller et al. 2006...

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Section: Egg Production Rates and Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Egg Production Rates and Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 73%

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Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Zamora-Terol¹,

Nielsen²,

Saiz³

2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The maximum number of ovigerous Oithona similis females found at Stonehaven was 32%, which compares well with the value of 23 to 41% in the Barents Sea (Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky 2009a). In the Southern Ocean, Ward & Hirst (2007) found that the proportion of females of O. similis carrying eggs varied from 0 to 67%, but with most values falling between 20 and 40%.…”

Section: Ovigerous Femalessupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Castellani et al (2007) found that from 33 to 82% of females were ovigerous across spring and summer in the Irminger Sea in the northwestern Atlantic. We need to emphasise that while the ovigerous population was defined in the present study as that which produced eggs within 24 h, this was determined directly from the egg sacs collected using nets in Castellani et al (2007), Ward & Hirst (2007), and Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky (2009a). The percentage of ovigerous females obtained from preserved net samples is the result of the balance between those females that were incapable of producing eggs at all, those females that were actively reproducing and were carrying a clutch, and those females that were actively reproducing but were between clutches.…”

Section: Ovigerous Femalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal abundance and egg production rates of Oithona similis and Pseudocalanus elongatus in the northern North Sea: a first comparison of egg-ratio and incubation methods

Drif¹,

Hirst²,

Hay³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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In this study, we examined egg production rates (EPR), clutch sizes, numbers of spawning females and prosome lengths of 2 common marine egg carrying copepods, Oithona similis and Pseudocalanus elongatus, over an annual cycle in the northern North Sea. For both species, we determined EPR using the incubation method, with rates being assessed after 24 (EPR 0 -24 ), 48 (EPR 0 -48 ), and between 24 and 48 h (EPR 24 -48 ) of incubation. For Oithona similis, EPR were also determined by applying the egg-ratio method EPR p , allowing a first ever comparison between these 2 approaches. In both species, mean rates of egg production from EPR 24 -48 incubations were lower on average than from EPR 0 -24 and EPR 0 -48 incubations; however, paired t-tests showed these differences to be insignificant (p > 0.05). In Oithona similis, the egg-ratio method EPR p gave higher rates (mean ± 95% CI: 1.06 ± 0.476 eggs female ) was significantly different (p = 0.031). Possible reasons for the differences are explored and recommendations made. EPR were significantly correlated with temperature in P. elongatus (p < 0.05), but the correlation was significant in O. similis only when using the egg-ratio method (p < 0.05). Applying a modified Michaelis-Menten relationship showed EPR to be significantly related to chlorophyll a in both species (p < 0.001). Changes in prosome lengths explained little of the variability in clutch size in the 2 species over the course of the year. Finally, seasonality in the abundance and biomass of nauplii, copepodites and adults was examined, together with adult female production and weight-specific fecundity rates, and these were compared across a variety of regions.

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Estimated copepod production rate and structure of mesozooplankton communities in the coastal Barents Sea during summer–autumn 2007

Dvoretsky

2012

Polar Biol

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Spatial variations in reproductive characteristics of the small copepod Oithona similis in the Barents Sea

Cited by 23 publications

References 40 publications

Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Seasonal abundance and egg production rates of Oithona similis and Pseudocalanus elongatus in the northern North Sea: a first comparison of egg-ratio and incubation methods

Estimated copepod production rate and structure of mesozooplankton communities in the coastal Barents Sea during summer–autumn 2007

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