Abstract
The life history and ecology of a harpacticoid copepod, Apolethon sp., were investigated for one year in the intertidal zone of a subarctic bay in southeastern Alaska. Core samples were collected biweekly at the 0 m tidal level from March, 1992 through March, 1993; zonation and vertical distribution were determined from additional samples. Large seasonal variations in density of Apolethon sp. parallelled that of the total harpacticoid community, with highest densities (124.3±12.5 10 cm−2; mean ± standard error) in March and lowest densities in May and October (7.6±4.5). The sex ratio of Apolethon sp. varied directly with population density, varying from <0.1 to 1.2 (male:female) during the study period. The species was restricted to a relatively narrow vertical band within the intertidal zone, having its greatest density at — 1 m and being rare above + 1 m tidal height. Adult Apolethon sp. bear conspicuous ovoid mucin structures located laterally on the genital double-somite. The mucin structures are unique to the species; several putative functions are discussed.
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Schizas, N.V., Shirley, T.C. (1994). Autecology of an intertidal Alaskan harpacticoid copepod Apolethon sp.. In: Ferrari, F.D., Bradley, B.P. (eds) Ecology and Morphology of Copepods. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 102. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1347-4_46
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1347-4_46
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