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The cost of reproduction in a freshwater copepod

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Summary

An experimental study of the copepod Mesocyclops edax documented that females which reproduced throughout their lifetime survived at a lower rate than unmated females which did not reproduce. This cost of reproduction was most apparent in animals receiving periodic, non-lethal temperature stress. However, among reproductive females, no significant correlations were detected between reproductive output and survival, suggesting caution concerning the application of cost of reproduction arguments to a population of females in which clutch size is seen to vary.

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Feifarek, B.P., Wyngaard, G.A. & David Allan, J. The cost of reproduction in a freshwater copepod. Oecologia 56, 166–168 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379687

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379687

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