Abstract
Five species of tropical copepods were exposed to samples of mining discharge and the fecal pellets produced were collected for chemical comparisons with mining discharge and with fecal pellets produced when the same species were held in ambient sea water. Chemical compositions were compared by means of Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX). Chemical composition of fecal pellets and mining discharge indicates uptake of mining discharge inUndinula vulgaris,Euchaeta rimana, andLabidocera acutifrons, possible uptake inUndinula darwinii and no apparent uptake inOncaea venusta. The total difference between the elemental ratios, standardized to Ca, observed for mining discharge and fecal pellets are 22.9 and 6.8 inUndinula vulgaris, 23.9 and 13.6 inEuchaeta rimana, 23.3 and 2.9 inLabidocera acutifrons, 19.8 and 13.7 inUndinula darwinii, and 18.2 and 4.0 inOncaea venusta for fecal pellets produced by copepods held in ambient sea water and for fecal pellets produced when exposed to a sample of mining discharge respectively. The application of EDAX to chemical analysis of fecal pellets is described and discussed.
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Hu, V.J.H. Ingestion of deep-sea mining discharge by five species of tropical copepods. Water Air Soil Pollut 15, 433–440 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279425
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279425