The Seed Bank of a Freshwater Crustacean: Copepodology for the Plant Ecologist

Abstract

The spatial and temporal aspects of dormancy in a freshwater copepod, Diaptomus sanguineus, were investigated during three consecutive years in Bullhead Pond, Rhode Island. Patterns of diapausing egg production and deposition were monitored with plankton sampling and settling traps. Vertical and horizontal distributions of diapausing eggs in sediments were investigated by taking core samples. Diapausing eggs removed from sediments were tested in the laboratory for hatching ability. The long—term spatial and temporal patterns of emergence from the diapausing egg stage were documented in the field using inverted plastic funnel traps sampled weekly. The field data along with an estimated annual budget for diapausing eggs in the pond suggest that D. sanguineus has an egg bank, analogous to the seed banks of plants, that allows it to survive through harsh environmental periods.