Copepod Reproduction Research Articles

A critical body residue approach for predicting persistent bioaccumulative toxicant effects on reproduction and population dynamics of meiobenthic copepods

Critical body residues (CBRs) are the measured tissue toxicant concentrations yielding a median dose-response on a dry-weight or lipid-normalized basis. They facilitate management decisions for species protection using tissue analysis. Population CBR is the mean dose yielding 50% population suppression and was predicted here in Amphiascus tenuiremis for fipronil sulfide (FS) using lifetables and the Leslie matrix. Microplate bioassays (ASTM E-2317-14) produced biomass sufficient for dry mass and lipid-normalized CBR estimates of reproduction (fertility) and population growth suppression. Significant FS toxic effects were delayed naupliar development (at ≥0.10 µg L(-1)), delayed copepodite development (at 0.85 µg L(-1)), decreased reproductive success (at ≥ 0.39 µg L(-1)), and decreased offspring production (at 0.85 µg L(-1)). A reproductive median effective concentration (EC50) of 0.16 µg L(-1) (95% CI: 0.12-0.21 µg L(-1)) corresponded to an adult all-sex CBR and lipid-normalized CBR of 0.38 pg FS · µg(-1) dry weight (95% CI: 0.27-0.52 pg FS · µg(-1)) or 2.8 pg FS · µg(-1) lipid (95% CI: 2.2-3.6 pg FS · µg(-1)), respectively. Copepod log bioconcentration factor (BCF) = 4.11 ± 0.2. Leslie matrix projections regressed against internal dose predicted fewer than five gravid females in a population by the third generation at 0.39 and 0.85 µg FS · L(-1) (i.e., 9.6-10.2 µg FS · µg(-1) lipid), and 50% population suppression at a CBR of 1.6 pg FS · µg(-1) lipid. This more integrative population CBR as a management tool would fall 1.75 times below the CBR for the single most sensitive endpoint-fertility rate.

Biogeographic effects of the Gulf of Mexico red tide dinoflagellate Karenia brevis on Mediterranean copepods

There may be biogeographic aspects of interactions between toxic phytoplankton and their zooplankton grazers. Grazers that naturally co-occur with a given species of toxic phytoplankton may have evolved mechanisms to counteract adverse effects of phytoplankton toxins. Conversely, grazers that have no co-evolutionary experience with a toxic phytoplankter may be more susceptible to its effects. This may also be true for toxic metabolites other than neurotoxins that adversely affect copepod reproduction and development such as the well-described diatom oxylipins. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated interactions in terms of feeding, reproductive success and survival of a copepod feeding on a potentially toxic dinoflagellate species with which the copepod does not naturally co-occur: the red tide dinoflagellate Karenia brevis from the Gulf of Mexico and the copepod Calanus helgolandicus from the Mediterranean. We additionally compared interactions of these two allopatric plankters with various co-occurring sympatric ones, including the copepod Temora stylifera and a non-neurotoxic strain of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense, both from the Mediterranean, and as a control, the non-toxic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum. Both Mediterranean copepods fed, reproduced and survived on diets of K. brevis from the Gulf of Mexico, but neither copepod did as well on this diet as on diets of A. tamarense from the Mediterranean or the control diet of P. minimum. Of the two copepods, T. stylifera fared worse on a diet of K. brevis than did C. helgolandicus. Egg hatching success for both copepods feeding on K. brevis was sharply diminished over the seven days of the experiments. This was surprising, since we subsequently discovered that our culture of K. brevis contained no brevetoxins. However, our culture appeared to contain another as yet unidentified compound. Similarly, we have previously demonstrated that our culture of A. tamarense, which contained no saxitoxins or aldehydes, did contain another unidentified compound that reduced egg hatching success by inhibiting sperm from fertilizing eggs. Thus, although diets of the dinoflagellate from the Gulf of Mexico (K. brevis) caused adverse effects on both of the Mediterranean copepods, T. stylifera was also adversely affected by the Mediterranean dinoflagellate (A. tamarense). The copepod T. stylifera which co-occurs in the Gulf of Mexico with the dinoflagellate K. brevis was far more adversely affected by feeding on a sole diet of this dinoflagellate than was the Mediterranean copepod (C. helgolandicus) which never naturally co-occurs with this dinoflagellate. Thus, any putative biogeographic effects of copepods feeding on allopatric versus sympatric dinoflagellates did not clearly emerge from our data. However, since both species of dinoflagellates appear to contain additional undescribed chemicals other than the neurotoxins for which they are best known, and these compounds are potentially related to the adverse effects we recorded, it appears that understanding of the biogeography must await further defining the biochemistry of some harmful algae:grazer interactions.

Horizontal distribution of calanoid copepods in the western Arctic Ocean during the summer of 2008

The horizontal distribution of the epipelagic zooplankton communities in the western Arctic Ocean was studied during August–October 2008. Zooplankton abundance and biomass were higher in the Chukchi Sea, and ranged from 3,000 to 274,000 ind. m−2 and 5–678 g WM m−2, respectively. Copepods were the most dominant taxa and comprised 37−94% of zooplankton abundance. For calanoid copepods, 30 species belonging to 20 genera were identified. Based on the copepod abundance, their communities were classified into three groups using a cluster analysis. The horizontal distribution of each group was well synchronized with depth zones, defined here as Shelf, Slope and Basin. Neritic Pacific copepods were the dominant species in the Shelf zone. Arctic copepods were substantially greater in the Slope zone than the other regions. Mesopelagic copepods were greater in the Basin zone than the other regions. Stage compositions of large-sized Arctic copepods (Calanus glacialis and Metridia longa) were characterized by the dominance of late copepodid stages in the Basin. Both the abundance and stage compositions of large copepods corresponded well with Chl. a concentrations in each region, with high Chl. a in the Shelf and Slope supporting reproduction of copepods resulting in high abundance dominated by early copepodid stages.

Hydrocarbon contamination decreases mating success in a marine planktonic copepod.

The mating behavior and the mating success of copepods rely on chemoreception to locate and track a sexual partner. However, the potential impact of the water-soluble fraction of hydrocarbons on these aspects of copepod reproduction has never been tested despite the widely acknowledged acute chemosensory abilities of copepods. I examined whether three concentrations of the water-soluble fraction of diesel oil (0.01%, 0.1% and 1%) impacts (i) the swimming behavior of both adult males and females of the widespread calanoid copepod Temora longcornis, and (ii) the ability of males to locate, track and mate with females. The three concentrations of the water-soluble fraction of diesel oil (WSF) significantly and non-significantly affect female and male swimming velocities, respectively. In contrast, both the complexity of male and female swimming paths significantly decreased with increasing WSF concentrations, hence suggesting a sex-specific sensitivity to WSF contaminated seawater. In addition, the three WSF concentrations impacted both T. longicornis mating behavior and mating success. Specifically, the ability of males to detect female pheromone trails, to accurately follow trails and to successfully track a female significantly decreased with increasing WSF concentrations. This led to a significant decrease in contact and capture rates from control to WSF contaminated seawater. These results indicate that hydrocarbon contamination of seawater decreases the ability of male copepods to detect and track a female, hence suggest an overall impact on population fitness and dynamics.

Does female RNA content reflect viable egg production in copepods? A test with the Baltic copepod Acartia tonsa

During summer, the Baltic Sea is subjected to the world’s largest cyanobacterial blooms. These blooms are linked to eutrophication and raise many questions concerning their effects on the ecosystem. To understand their impacts on the food web dynamics, it is essential to assess growth responses of grazers to these cyanobacteria. In the northern Baltic proper, copepods are the most important herbivores providing an essential link between the primary producers and higher trophic levels. In this Thesis, Papers I & II evaluate methods to estimate copepod growth in response to feeding conditions in situ. The most conspicuous diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacterium in the Baltic Sea is Nodularia spumigena, a producer of nodularin which is highly toxic to vertebrates, yet its ecological role is largely unknown. In Paper III, reciprocal interactions between cyanobacteria, sympatric algae and copepods are studied. The results suggest that nodularin is likely involved in allelopathic interactions, but it is not an inducible defense against grazers. Furthermore, the results of Papers IV & V, indicate that natural assemblages of N. spumigena and Anabaena spp. may support copepod reproduction and that total diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria appear to provide a beneficial feeding environment for the feeding stages of copepod nauplii, most probably by stimulating the microbial communities that nauplii feed upon. Since cyanobacterial blooms are projected to increase due to global climate change, the combined effects of toxic cyanobacteria, ocean acidification and global warming predicted for year 2100 are further investigated on copepods in Paper IV. Taken together, these studies indicate that filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria contribute to sustaining secondary productivity and have potential implications of management practices with respect to combating eutrophication, global climate change and sustaining fish feeding conditions.

How will increased dinoflagellate:diatom ratios affect copepod egg production? — A case study from the Baltic Sea

Mild winters are modifying the plankton spring bloom composition so that diatoms are decreasing and dinoflagellates increasing. We used two common spring bloom phytoplankton species, a diatom and a dinoflagellate to study the effects of changing bloom composition on the reproduction of the calanoid copepod Acartia bifilosa Giesbrecht, a dominant species in the northern Baltic Sea. Egg production was significantly higher when copepods were fed with Scrippsiella hangoei (Schiller) Larsen dinoflagellates or a mixture of Scrippsiella and Skeletonema marinoi Sarno and Zingone diatoms than when they were provided with Skeletonema only. This effect was observed despite the fact that the Skeletonema strain did not produce polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) and its nutritional quality was high according to polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) and sterol measurements, and moderate according to mineral (C:N and C:P) measurements. When offered mixtures of Skeletonema and Scrippsiella, copepods ingested both, even when the other one was rare. This indicates potential positive effect of multispecies diets not verified in this study. Here we show that increasing dinoflagellate:diatom ratio might have a positive effect on copepod reproduction.

Can copepods be limited by the iron content of their food?

In laboratory experiments, we show that naupliar survival and egg production by the copepod Acartia tonsa was significantly lower when they were fed iron‐depleted algal cells than when they were fed a diet of Fe‐replete cells that had two orders of magnitude higher Fe levels. Naupliar survival after 1 week was reduced from 60% for copepods feeding on Fe‐replete diatoms (Thalassiosira oceanica) to 0% for those feeding on Fe‐depleted cells. The decline of egg production rate was greatest (83%) when T. oceanica was used as prey and smaller (20–30%) when the cryptophyte Rhodomonas salina and the prymnesiophyte Isochrysis galbana were used as food. The assimilation rates of Fe and C from Fe‐replete and Fe‐depleted algae were determined using radioisotopes. Egg production was hyperbolically dependent on the Fe assimilation rate (r2=0.71). The effect of Fe on copepod reproduction rates could not be explained by changes in ingestion rate and the rate of carbon assimilated, because there was no significant difference of ingestion rate and C assimilation between Fe‐replete and Fe‐depleted treatments. Iron might limit zooplankton productivity in high‐nutrient, low‐chlorophyll regions.

Do Inactivated Microbial Preparations Improve Life History Traits of the Copepod Acartia tonsa?

We have tested a microbial preparation with probiotic effects (PSI; Sorbial A/S DANISCO) on the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa (Dana) development time and reproduction effectiveness in culture. The hypotheses were that PSI increases the productivity and quality of copepods in culture (increased egg production and hatching success, HS). This was carried out because the use of copepods as live prey in aquaculture could increase the number of fish successfully raised through their entire life cycle. However, the availability of copepods is limited by their difficulty to be effectively raised. Our results show that the addition of PSI to the algal food increased the individual size of the adult females and their egg production. The PSI, together with Rhodomonas salina, also increased the HS of the eggs produced by PSI-treated females. These effects were observed despite that the biochemical analysis of the PSI revealed that it is a nutritionally poor food lacking essential fatty acids, and hence it cannot be used alone to raise copepods but instead as a food additive. This is the first demonstration that the effectiveness of copepod culturing can be improved using microbial preparations as a food additive.

Impact of the diatom oxylipin 15S-HEPE on the reproductive success of the copepod Temora stylifera

The copepod Temora stylifera was fed with the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima for 15 days. This diatom does not produce polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) but only synthesizes other oxylipins such as the hydroxyacid (5Z,8Z,11Z,13E,15S,17Z)-15-hydroxy-5,8,11,13,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (15S-HEPE). Effects of this monoalgal diet were compared to copepods fed with the PUA-producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi and the control dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum which does not produce any oxylipins. Both egg production and hatching success were negatively affected by the two diatoms compared to the control diet. Both diatoms also induced malformations in the offspring, with the number of malformed nauplii increasing dramatically with time. Malformed nauplii were apoptotic (TUNEL-positive) indicating imminent death. In terms of recruitment, only 4 healthy nauplii female−1 day−1 with S. marinoi and 9 healthy nauplii female−1 day−1 with P. delicatissima were produced during the 15-day experimental period. The results indicate that P. delicatissima induced negative effects comparable to those of S. marinoi even though it did not produce PUAs. This is the first study that tests the biological activity of oxylipins other than PUAs on copepod reproduction.

Biological processes in the North Sea: vertical distribution and reproduction of neritic copepods in relation to environmental factors

We studied the vertical distribution and reproduction of dominant neritic copepod species in the Dogger Bank area and surrounding North Sea to reveal (i) if these species are concentrated in the subsurface chlorophyll maximum layer, (ii) if the chlorophyll maximum offers superior food conditions for reproduction compared with surface waters and (iii) if the secondary production is thus higher in the frontal areas with a subsurface chlorophyll maximum. In addition, we wanted to (iv) identify the most important environmental factors determining the reproduction of neritic copepods in the North Sea. We observed a higher egg production of cultured Acartia tonsa when fed with the seston from chlorophyll maximum, but no evidence of a higher copepod abundance in this layer. Secondary production was highest at the station closest to the upwelling of new nutrients, although seasonal differences in environmental variables probably overrode the differences between frontal and stratified stations. Copepod egg production on an annual basis seemed to be best predicted by the body size and specific fatty acids, with a high egg production, but low hatching success associated with a high EPA:DHA ratio. Total secondary production of small copepods seemed mainly related to the species composition, suggesting that factors controlling abundance of specific species rather than reproduction might be more important in determining the secondary production of copepods.

Variación entre años de la fauna de parásitos metazoos de Sciaena deliciosa (Tschudi, 1846) (Perciformes: Sciaenidae) en Lima, Perú

The community structure of parasites on Sciaena deliciosa (Tschudi, 1846), is evaluated and eventual changes are analyzed in the composition, richness, diversity, prevalence and mean intensity of parasite communities on fish specimens that were similar in body length but were sampled 20 years apart (August 1987 to July 1988 vs. August to September 2008) in Lima, Peru. Metazoan parasites were collected and counted employing conventional techniques. Total abundance was 1.7 (0-13) and parasite species richness was 0.7 (0-2 parasite species per fish). Thirsty hosts (60%) were infected by at least with one parasite. Seven parasite taxa were found: two monogeneans (Cynoscionicola sciaenae, Hargicotyle sciaenae), a digenean (Helicometra fasciata), a nematode (Dycheline amaruincai), an acanthocephalan (Tegorhynchus sp.), and two copepods (Caligus callaoensis, Lernanthropus huamani). This comparative analysis (parasites of S. deliciosa in 1987-1988 vs in 2008), showed a decreased prevalence of Tegorhynchus sp., D. amaruincai, Bomolochus peruensis, and Neobrachiella oralis. The mean intensity increased for C. americana and Tegorhynchus sp. and diminished for C. callaoensis. Differences between years could be influenced by variations of sea temperature that affect larval stages and/or copepod reproduction over the course of the study period and size of the sample.

The effects of nickel on the reproductive ability of three different marine copepods

Lethal and sublethal toxicity of Nickel (Ni) to three marine copepods Tigriopus japonicus, Apocyclops borneoensis and Acartia pacifica was investigated. The 48-h LC50 values were 17.70, 13.05 and 2.36 mg l(-1) Ni, respectively. A. pacifica was found to be the most sensitive to Ni in acute exposure tests. In order to assess sublethal effects of Ni on copepod reproduction, the test organisms were exposed to four nominal Ni concentrations 0, 10, 100, 1000 microg l(-1) Ni. The results indicated that offspring production of T. japonicus and A. borneoensis was significantly reduced after exposure to 10 microg l(-1) Ni. Whereas egg production and egg hatching success of A. pacifica were significantly reduced at 100 and 10 microg l(-1) Ni, respectively. Exposure of copepods to the highest Ni concentration caused a severely reduced nauplii production from T. japonicus, A. borneoensis and A. pacifica by 87.8, 56.9 and 65.8%, respectively, and a significantly reduced egg production of A. pacifica by 74.4%. These results show that Ni excess in the coastal environment can have detrimental effects on reproduction of copepods.

Assessing the role of food quality in the production and hatching of Temora longicornis eggs

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 382:139-150 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07985 Assessing the role of food quality in the production and hatching of Temora longicornis eggs Sigrún Huld Jónasdóttir1,*, André W. Visser1, Carsten Jespersen2 1Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU-Aqua), Kavalergaarden 6, 2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark 2University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark *Email: sjo@aqua.dtu.dk ABSTRACT: We utilized the varying fatty acid composition of phytoplankton to create 19 different food treatments based on different ratios of 5 potentially important fatty acids and offered these to the copepod Temora longicornis. Egg production and hatching was monitored and related to ingested carbon, dietary fatty acids and the utilization of maternal fatty acid reserves. Egg production rates depended on ingested carbon and the fatty acid 20:5n-3 from the diet and from the female reserves. Hatching success showed a significant dependence on the ingested and maternal fatty acids 22:6n-3, 18:5n-3 and 18:3n-3. Production of nauplii as a combination of egg production and hatching was highly dependent on the fatty acid 22:6n-3 and carbon ingestion. The study confirms the importance of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for copepod reproduction and indicates that the female differentially utilizes its fatty acid reserves depending on dietary fatty acid availability during reproduction and that egg production and hatching are dependent on different dietary fatty acids. KEY WORDS: Egg production · Hatching · Food quality · Fatty acid · Temora longicornis Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Jónasdóttir SH, Visser AW, Jespersen C (2009) Assessing the role of food quality in the production and hatching of Temora longicornis eggs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 382:139-150. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07985 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 382. Online publication date: April 30, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.

Aldehyde-induced insidious effects cannot be considered as a diatom defence mechanism against copepods

The last 2 decades have seen much controversy concerning the negative impacts that consumption of diatoms may have upon copepods. Because diatoms have traditionally been consid- ered a major food item for copepods, this controversy has raised fundamental questions concerning our understanding of the marine food chain. The mode of operation of this negative impact is via so- called insidious effects on the survival of early-stage copepod progeny, caused for example by polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA), with the mechanism proposed as a defence evolved by diatoms. Here the effects of diatoms on copepod reproduction rates are evaluated using a stoichiometric weight- or age-stage copepod model coupled with variable stoichiometric descriptions of prey. We show that, considering different combinations of copepod population age structure and diet compo- sition (diatoms, non-diatoms, microzooplankton and copepods), the concept of an 'insidious' effect of diatom consumption upon copepods cannot be sustained as a defence mechanism, as it does not con- fer any advantage to the diatoms. While metabolites that deter grazing can be advantageous, slowly killing a predator (via the death of juvenile copepods) responsible for consuming competitor primary producers, and also consuming another predator (microzooplankton), is not advantageous to the diatoms. Indeed it is shown to be counterproductive on occasion. While PUA (or compounds that act in a similar fashion) have the potential to adversely affect copepod production, alternative explana- tions for their production need consideration. Such alternatives include the potential impact of PUA against microzooplankton, or simply that PUA represent secondary metabolites of no evolutionary selective advantage.

A multi-generation Schmakeria poplesia culturing system for use in ecotoxicological study

Crustacean zooplankton form the keystone link between primary producers and fish stocks in marine and estuary ecosystems. We have established a multi-generation cultivation system for zooplankton with which future experiments on the biological effects of pollutants in marine and estuary environments can be better performed. A population of calanoid copepod, Schmakeria poplesia, was collected in December 2003 and maintained in a static system through all stages (eggs to adults). The population exhibited an average developmental time of 13.6 d in conditions corresponding to the natural environment (water temperature 20°C, salinity 15). A series of experiments were performed to examine copepod egg production and hatching success as functions of food type and feeding concentration. Results in our study showed that Isochrysis galbana was more favored for the reproduction of copepods than Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and 10×104cells mL−1 was the most practical algae concentration. We have demonstrated that the Schmakeria poplesia population can be maintained in the laboratory through multiple generations. In addition, methods to control egg production through changes in food concentration have been established, making it feasible to control the start date of exposure experiments or the timing of the collection of offspring to initiate a new generation.

Copepod growth and diatoms: insensitivity of Acartia tonsa to the composition of semi-natural plankton mixtures manipulated by silicon:nitrogen ratios in mesocosms

The feeding selectivity and the growth and reproductive success of the copepod Acartia tonsa have been studied in mesocosms fertilized at different Si:N ratios (0-1.75:1) and, therefore, at different compositions of the phytoplankton communities. Phytoplankton composition showed a strong response to nutrient ratios, with diatoms comprising >90% at Si:N ratios >1:1 of total biomass as opposed to <20% at the lowest ratio. A. tonsa strongly preferred feeding on motile prey (flagellates and ciliates) to feeding on diatoms. Nevertheless, diatoms comprised a substantial part of the diet at the highest Si:N ratios. A. tonsa egg production and the final (after 4 weeks) abundance of adults and copepodites showed no response to Si:N ratios while nauplii production slightly increased with Si:N ratios. It is concluded that the frequently reported deleterious effect of diatoms on copepod reproduction is rather unusual when copepods are confronted with a naturally diverse phytoplankton assemblage instead of clonal cultures in the laboratory.

Effect of essential dietary fatty acids on egg production and hatching success of the marine copepod Temora longicornis

The calanoid copepod Temora longicornis and its food (seston of size < 200 μm) was sampled during three successive seasons (2002-04) in the Trondheimsfjord, Central Norway. Egg production (24 h) and hatching success (72 h) was determined by incubation experiments, and the essential fatty acid (EFA) content of their in situ food was analysed. The dominant EFA in the seston were DHA (22:6n-3) and EPA (20:5n-3), whereas ARA (20:4n-6) were present in low quantities. Egg production and hatching success was relatively low during early spring and late autumn (~ 10 eggs female - 1 day - 1 and ~ 30%), and relatively high during summer. Spring phytoplankton, dominated by diatoms, contained low amounts of DHA. Dinoflagellates, small flagellates, and ciliates dominated during summer, when a high content of DHA was recorded. The rate of egg production of T. longicornis did not show any relationship with food concentration (r 2 = 0.003), but was positively correlated to temperature, although not statistically significantly (r 2 = 0.48, p = 0.05). The quantitative and percent DHA contents of the food was significantly related to the rate of egg production (r 2 = 0.96 and 0.95, respectively, p < 0.001), but no such relationship were observed for the quantitative or percent content of EPA and ARA in the seston. The egg production of T. longicornis during May-August was 43-47 eggs female - 1 day - 1 , with dietary DHA contents higher than 7-8 mg DHA g - 1 DW. Also the hatching success of T. longicornis was positively correlated to the quantitative content of DHA in the diet (r 2 = 0.88), but hatching was also inversely related to the percentage ARA (r 2 = 0.84). The maximum hatching success was found when the ARA content was < 0.15% of total fatty acids and the DHA:ARA ratio was > 50. The conclusion that DHA most strongly affected egg production whereas ARA affected hatching, fit well with earlier findings for fish. Our results do not exclude that toxic aldehydes interact with reproduction of calanoid copepods when diatoms are present, but we observed a consistent pattern where dietary DHA and ARA alone explained a majority of the variability in egg production and hatching of T. longicornis.

Low reproductive success for copepods during a bloom of the non‐aldehyde‐producing diatom Cerataulina pelagica in the North Adriatic Sea

AbstractEgg production rates and/or hatching success in the copepods Acartia clausi, Calanus helgolandicus and Temora longicornis were negatively affected by a late spring (May–June 2003) phytoplankton bloom in the North Adriatic Sea, dominated mainly by the large diatom Cerataulina pelagica. Highest total concentrations of 3.3·104 cells·ml−1 were located in the vicinity of the Po River, which also corresponded to the area where the highest numbers of phaeophorbides were measured (0.779, 0.528 and 0.419 μg·l−1, respectively, compared to an average of the remaining stations of 0.183 ± 0.049 SD), suggesting some grazing on the bloom. Phytoplankton biomass in terms of carbon was dominated by diatoms, representing on average 42% of total phytoplankton carbon and more than 80% at several stations. Cerataulina pelagica, Cyclotella spp., Chaetoceros spp. and small unidentified centric diatoms dominated the diatom community numerically but C. pelagica was by far the dominant diatom in terms of carbon due to its large cell size. This species represented more than 60% of the diatom biomass at nine of the 14 stations sampled, and was absent only at one station, which was the most offshore station sampled during the cruise. Although polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) were not detected, other oxylipins which are hydroxy and keto derivatives of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids that affect copepod reproduction were found in these samples. Hence, we can attribute the negative impact of diatoms not only to PUAs, as previously believed, but also to these compounds. This is the first direct evidence of the presence of oxylipins other than PUAs in marine blooms dominated by diatoms.

Expression of ecdysteroids and cytochrome P450 enzymes during lipid turnover and reproduction in Calanus finmarchicus (Crustacea: Copepoda)

The marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus is the most abundant zooplankton species in the northern regions of the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Very little is known about molecular regulation of hormone metabolism, moulting and reproduction in copepods. To investigate these processes, we sampled adult male and female copepods (females at three distinct reproductive stages) and copepodites stage five (CV) from the culture at SINTEF/NTNU Sealab. Copepods were individually photographed, analyzed biometrically (body size, length and lipid storage size) and for ecdysteroid concentrations. In addition, we analyzed copepods for gene expression of three putative cytochrome P450 enzymes possibly involved in ecdysteroid regulation: CYP301A1, CYP305A1 and CYP330A1. The CV group exhibited the highest ecdysteroid concentrations and the largest lipid storage size, and a significant positive correlation was found between these parameters. Also, two of the P450 enzymes (CYP305A1 and CYP330A1) were more highly expressed at CV than at the adult stage, suggesting that these P450 enzymes are involved in ecdysteroid synthesis and lipid storage regulation. The expression of CYP330A1 was higher in newly moulted females than in females that had produced eggs. In addition, we observed that ecdysteroid concentrations were higher in females with large egg sacs, suggesting that ecdysteroids may be involved in egg maturation and reproduction. The CYP301A1 was more highly expressed in males and post-spawning females, and may be involved in ecdysteroid degradation since these groups also exhibited the lowest ecdysteroid concentrations.

Aldehyde-encapsulating liposomes impair marine grazer survivorship

In the last decade, there has been an increased awareness that secondary metabolites produced by marine diatoms negatively impact the reproductive success of their principal predators, the copepods. Several oxylipins, products of the enzymatic oxidation of fatty acids, are produced when these unicellular algae are damaged, as occurs during grazing. In the past, the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum, which does not produce the oxylipin 2-trans,4-trans-decadienal (DD), has been used as a live carrier to calculate daily ingestion rates of this molecule by copepod crustaceans. However, since the interaction between oxylipins and live carriers is unknown, the question as to how much and for how long ingestion of these molecules affects copepod reproduction remains a critical point to understanding the functional role of such compounds at sea. In the investigation presented here we used giant liposomes ( approximately 7 mum) as a delivery system for the oxylipin DD, prepared in the same size range as copepod food and containing known amounts of DD. The aim of this work was to relate the ingestion of DD to the reproductive failure of the copepods Temora stylifera and Calanus helgolandicus. Liposomes were very stable over time and after 10 days of feeding, liposomes encapsulating DD reduced egg hatching success and female survival with a concomitant appearance of apoptosis in both copepod embryos and female tissues. Concentrations of DD inducing blockage were one order of magnitude lower that those used in classical feeding experiments demonstrating that liposomes are a useful tool to quantitatively analyze the impact of toxins on copepods.