A comparison of methods for sampling splashpool copepoda

Abstract

Abstract Collection methods for micro- and meiofauna within high shore splashpools are compared using four simple, hand-held devices, with the supralittoral harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus califoricus as a representative organism. For the collection of all T. califarnicus life-history stages, over a range of potential densities and with a minimum of specimen damage, a 30 ml graduated pipette is demonstrably more efficient than bottles, preparation dishes, or small nets. Collection ofnauplii and gravid females, which typically subsist closer to the substratum and in pits or crevices in the bedrock, was particularly better using the pipette, which generates a rapid suction, produces less overall disturbance than larger devices, and can be used over a broad range of pool sizes without modification. For analysis, pipettes provide a smaller, more concentrated sample, reducing processing time and the potential for handling error.