Preliminary observations on the metabolic and reproductive strategies of harpacticoid copepods from an intertidal sandflat

Abstract

The metabolic responses to temperature changes and the reproductive strategies of four species of harpacticoid copepod are examined in relation to their depth distribution, susceptibility to predation and assumptions about food supply. Two species, one of which is heavily preyed upon, are confined to the surface layers and two species occur deeper in the sediment through most of the year. These latter species appear to have adopted different metabolic strategies in response to lowered food supply but both have a lower Q10 than surface dwelling species. In addition the surface species have the ability to regulate their respiratory demands at times of high, short-term, temperature fluctuations. Preliminary data suggests that generally, the surface species have shorter development times than those dwelling deeper in the sediment but until more information is available on the energetic costs of reproduction it cannot be shown that deeper dwelling species are more conservative in their reproductive strategies.