Shifts in survival and reproduction after chronic warming enhance the potential of a marine copepod to persist under extreme heat events.

The study of a species' thermal tolerance and vital rates responses provides useful metrics to characterize its vulnerability to ocean warming. Under prolonged thermal stress, plastic and adaptive processes can adjust the physiology of organisms. Yet it is uncertain whether the species can expand their upper thermal limits to cope with rapid and extreme changes in environmental temperature.

Ecophysiological response of marine copepods to dietary elemental imbalances.

We assessed the effects of nutrient imbalanced diets on the feeding, reproduction and gross-growth efficiency of egg production of the copepod Paracartia grani. The cryptophyte Rhodomonas salina, cultivated under balanced (f/2) and imbalanced growth conditions (N and P limitation), served as prey. Copepod C:N and C:P ratios increased in the imbalanced treatments, particularly under P limitation.

The effect of short-term temperature exposure on vital physiological processes of mixoplankton and protozooplankton.

Sudden environmental changes like marine heatwaves will become more intense and frequent in the future. Understanding the physiological responses of mixoplankton and protozooplankton, key members of marine food webs, to temperature is crucial. Here, we studied two dinoflagellates (one protozoo- and one mixoplanktonic), two ciliates (one protozoo- and one mixoplanktonic), and two cryptophytes.

Reduction in thermal stress of marine copepods after physiological acclimation.

We studied the phenotypic response to temperature of the marine copepod at the organismal and cellular levels. First, the acute (2 days) survival, feeding and reproductive performances at 6-35°C were determined. Survival was very high up to ca.

Thermal Acclimation and Adaptation in Marine Protozooplankton and Mixoplankton.

Proper thermal adaptation is key to understanding how species respond to long-term changes in temperature. However, this is seldom considered in protozooplankton and mixoplankton experiments. In this work, we studied how two heterotrophic dinoflagellates ( and ), one heterotrophic ciliate (), and one mixotrophic dinoflagellate () responded to warming.

Predator Chemical Cue Effects on the Diel Feeding Behaviour of Marine Protists.

We have assessed the effect of copepod chemical cues on the diel feeding rhythms of heterotrophic and mixotrophic marine protists. All phagotrophic protists studied exhibited relatively high diurnal feeding rates. The magnitude of the diel feeding rhythm, expressed as the quotient of day and night ingestion rates, was inversely related to the time that phagotrophic protists were maintained in the laboratory in an environment without predators.

Non-lethal effects of the predator and influence of seasonal photoperiod and food availability on the diel feeding behaviour of the copepod .

Predators can induce changes in the diel activity patterns of marine copepods. Besides vertical migration, diel feeding rhythms have been suggested as an antipredator phenotypic response. We conducted experiments to assess the non-lethal direct effects of the predator (northern krill) on the diel feeding patterns of the calanoid copepod .

Effects of prey trophic mode on the gross-growth efficiency of marine copepods: the case of mixoplankton.

Copepod reproductive success largely depends on food quality, which also reflects the prey trophic mode. As such, modelling simulations postulate a trophic enhancement to higher trophic levels when mixotrophy is accounted in planktonic trophodynamics. Here, we tested whether photo-phagotrophic protists (mixoplankton) could enhance copepod gross-growth efficiency by nutrient upgrading mechanisms compared to obligate autotrophs and heterotrophs.

Tetrabromobisphenol A inhibits carboxylesterase activity of marine organisms from different trophic levels.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a brominated flame retardant used in synthetic polymers and electronics, is present in the aquatic environment and recent evidence suggests it can be potentially biomagnified in the marine ecosystem. However, the toxicity of TBBPA in the marine biota has not been investigated in detail. In this study we aimed to understand the role of carboxylesterases (CEs) in xenobiotic metabolism under the exposure of marine organisms to a chemical of environmental concern, TBBPA.

Towards an Understanding of Diel Feeding Rhythms in Marine Protists: Consequences of Light Manipulation.

Temporal programs synchronised with the daily cycle are of adaptive importance for organisms exposed to periodic fluctuations. This study deepens into several aspects of the exogenous and endogenous nature of microbial grazers. We investigated the diel rhythms of cell division and feeding activity of four marine protists under different light regimes.

Publisher Correction: Sex-Dependent Effects of Caloric Restriction on the Ageing of an Ambush Feeding Copepod.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Sex-Dependent Effects of Caloric Restriction on the Ageing of an Ambush Feeding Copepod.

Planktonic copepods are a very successful group in marine pelagic environments, with a key role in biogeochemical cycles. Among them, the genus Oithona is one of the more abundant and ubiquitous. We report here on the effects of caloric (food) restriction on the ageing patterns of the copepod Oithona davisae.

Feeding behaviour of the nauplii of the marine calanoid copepod Paracartia grani Sars: Functional response, prey size spectrum, and effects of the presence of alternative prey.

Laboratory feeding experiments were conducted to study the functional response and prey size spectrum of the young naupliar stages of the calanoid copepod Paracartia grani Sars. Experiments were conducted on a range of microalgal prey of varying sizes and motility patterns. Significant feeding was found in all prey of a size range of 4.

Ageing and Caloric Restriction in a Marine Planktonic Copepod.

Planktonic copepods are a key group in the marine pelagic ecosystem, linking primary production with upper trophic levels. Their abundance and population dynamics are constrained by the life history tradeoffs associated with resource availability, reproduction and predation pressure. The tradeoffs associated with the ageing process and its underlying biological mechanisms are, however, poorly known.

Copepod foraging on the basis of food nutritional quality: can copepods really choose?

Copepods have been considered capable of selective feeding based on several factors (i.e., prey size, toxicity, and motility).

Accumulation and cycling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in zooplankton.

Planktonic food webs play an important role driving the environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants, and POP accumulation in phytoplankton has been previously studied for its importance as a first step in the aquatic food webs. However, little is known about the accumulation and cycling of organic pollutants between zooplankton and water. The present study shows the results of laboratory experiments on the bioconcentration (by passive uptake) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in phytoplankton (Rhodomonas salina) and accumulation in copepods (Paracartia(acartia) granm), by ingestion and diffusion.

Lethal and sublethal effects of naphthalene and 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene on naupliar and adult stages of the marine cyclopoid copepod Oithona davisae.

Short-term (24h) exposure experiments have been conducted to determine the effects of two environmental relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene (NAPH) and dimethylnaphthalene (C2-NAPH), on the naupliar and adult stages of the marine cyclopoid copepod Oithona davisae. To resemble more realistic conditions, those exposure experiments were conducted under the presence of food. The naupliar stages evidenced lower tolerance to PAH exposure regarding narcotic and lethal effects than adults.

Predicting single and mixture toxicity of petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the copepod Oithona davisae.

In the present study, the acute toxicity of 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with the Prestige fuel oil spill (Spain, 2002) were evaluated, either as single substances or in mixtures, in adults of the copepod Oithona davisae. All but dimethylphenanthrene had negative effects on O. davisae survival at concentrations below their water solubility, with 48-h median lethal concentrations for naphthalene and pyrene of 56.

Phylogenetic position of the copepod-infesting parasite Syndinium turbo (Dinoflagellata, Syndinea).

Sequences were determined for the nuclear-encoded small subunit (SSU) rRNA and 5.8S rRNA genes as well as the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 of the parasitic dinoflagellate genus Syndinium from two different marine copepod hosts. Syndinium developed a multicellular plasmodium inside its host and at maturity free-swimming zoospores were released.