Different effects of increased water temperature on egg production of Calanus finmarchicus and C. glacialis

Abstract

Two copepod species, Calanus finmarchicus (a widespread North Atlantic species) and C. glacialis (an Arctic species), are dominant in the zooplankton of Arctic seas. We hypothesized that the anticipated warming in the Arctic might have different effects on the arctic and boreal species. The effect of temperature on egg production rate (EPR) in these species at temperatures of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10°C under contrasting feeding conditions was assessed in 5-day-long experiments. The EPR of the fed C. finmarchicus increased with temperature over the entire tested range. On the contrary, the EPR of C. glacialis increased only in the range of 0–5°C and dropped with further temperature growth. The difference in the influence of temperature on reproduction of these two species is statistically significant. Feeding conditions have a considerable effect on the C. finmarchicus EPR. The EPRs of the female C. glacialis that fed or starved for 5 days displayed no significant difference. These results suggest that the C. finmarchicus EPR increases with temperature under favorable feeding conditions, whereas the C. glacialis EPR decreases at a temperature over 5°C independently of the feeding conditions. This allows for prediction of the shift in abundances of these two species in pelagic communities of Arctic seas in the case of a warming scenario.