HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Defense Date

1995

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Department

Oceanographic Center

First Advisor

Gary S. Kleppel

Second Advisor

Richard E. Dodge

Third Advisor

Carmelo R. Tomas

Abstract

Relationships between the nutritional environment and copepod egg production were investigated in Acartia tonsa from the Port Everglades estuary (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) and in Centropages velificatus, Temora stylifera, and Undinula vulgaris from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Egg production was measured by incubation procedures. Female copepods were incubated either individually (in 250 mL containers) or in groups of 5-10 (in 2 liter containers) for 24 hours. The concentration of particulate protein, lipid, and water-soluble carbohydrate was determined in size-fractionated microplankton samples (1-8 um, 8-100 um). Correlations were identified between egg production (transformed to carbon-specific and protein-specific production), the nutritional environment and the physical environment (i.e. temperature) by least squares techniques.

Significant species-specific correlations were detected between nutrient composition and egg production. The nutrients utilized by copepods for energy (carbohydrates and lipids) appear to be important to the egg production of A. tonsa and C. velificatus.

During the spring, protein-specific production in C. velificatus varied inversely with the lipid concentrations of both particle size classes (1-100 um and 8-100 um) (correlation coefficient [r] = -0.62, significance level [P] < 0 .05, number of data points [n] = 12) and water temperature (r = -0.62, P < 0.05, n = 12) . Protein-specific production in Acartia tonsa was correlated with seston water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations in the seston (r = 0.88, P < 0.05, n = 10 ) except during a diatom bloom which occurred in June 1993.

Multi-variate analysis revealed a strong relationship between protein- and carbon-specific production of A. tonsa and nutrients utilized for energy (carbohydrates and lipids) (r = 0.91, P < 0.001, n = 9). Centropages velificatus protein- and carbon-specific production was significantly correlated with the combination of water-soluble carbohydrate and protein concentrations in the seston (8-100 um) (r = 0.72, P < 0.05, n = 14).

Estimated ingestion rates suggest copepod species feed at different rates in order to obtain the same percentage of body nutrients. This may be due, in part, to the relationship between the nutrient content of a particular species and the seston nutrient concentrations observed in their distinct environments.

Files over 10MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "Save as..."

To access this thesis/dissertation you must have a valid nova.edu OR mynsu.nova.edu email address and create an account for NSUWorks.

Free My Thesis

If you are the author of this work and would like to grant permission to make it openly accessible to all, please click the Free My Thesis button.

  Link to NovaCat

COinS