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Copepoda – Cladocera – Tunicata: The role of three major mesozooplankton groups in pelagic food webs

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Ecological Research

Copepods, cladocerans and tunicates form major groups of herbivorous mesozooplankton. The former two are found in fresh and marine waters, while the latter are restricted to marine systems. In the present review, we compile existing ecophysiological knowledge about between-group differences in metabolic and reproductive rates, feeding selectivity and elemental composition. From this, we derive predictions about their impact on the lower trophic levels (phytoplankton and microbial food web) and predictions about their prevalence under different ecological conditions (e.g. nutrient richness, Si : N ratio, phytoplankton size structure and top-down control).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut f. Meereskunde, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105, Kiel, Germany

    Ulrich Sommer

  2. Zoologisches Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Karlstr, 23–25, D-80333, Munich, Germany

    Herwig Stibor

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  1. Ulrich Sommer
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Sommer, U., Stibor, H. Copepoda – Cladocera – Tunicata: The role of three major mesozooplankton groups in pelagic food webs. Ecol Res 17, 161–174 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.2002.00476.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.2002.00476.x

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