Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Temperature and plankton

II. Effect on respiration and swimming activity in copepods from the Greenland Sea

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The relationship between temperature and metabolism was studied in Artic copepods with regard to the concept of metabolic cold adaptation of polar poikilotherms. Temperature tolerance and respiration rates of the dominant copepods Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus), C. glacialis (Jaschnov), C. hyperboreus (Krøyer) and Metridia longa (Lubbeck), collected in Fram Strait, Greenland Sea, in July 1983, were studied at different temperatures. Temperature tolerance in the boreal C. finmarchicus was slightly higher than in the three Arctic species. Respiration rates at lower temperatures followed the Arrhenius equation in all species, with values for μ (temperature characteristics) between 11.05 and 22.95, corresponding to a Q10 between 2.05 and 4.5. This increase in metabolic rate with rising temperature was not related to an increase of swimming activity, as was shown by videoanalysis. “Activity” was determined as average swimming speed and as frequency of certain locomotor patterns. Average swimming speed remained unchanged at all temperatures and was ca 1 cm s-1 for all species, when only periods of active swimming were considered. The time spent with active swimming did not change with temperature in M. longa and C. finmarchicus, but decreased in c. glacialis. In C. hyperboreus it increased at 5°C and decreased again at higher temperatures. It is suggested that the increase in oxygen consumption is fully accounted for by the basal metabolism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Anraku, M.: Some technical problems encountered in quantitative studies of grazing and predation by marine planktonic copepods. J. oceanogr. Soc. Japan 20, 221–231 (1964)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brainbridge, R.: Underwater observations on the swimming of marine zooplankton. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 31, 107–112 (1952)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Båmstedt, U.: Seasonal variation in the respiratory rate and ETS activity of deep-water zooplankton from the Swedish west coast. In: Cyclic phenomena in marine plants and animals, pp 267–274. Proc. 13th Eur. mar. biol. Symp. Ed. by E. Naylor and R. G. Hartnoll. Oxford: Pergamon Press 1979

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Båmstedt, U.: RNA concentration in zooplankton: seasonal variation in boreal species. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 11, 291–297 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Båmstedt, U.: Diel variations in the nutritional physiology of Calanus glacialis from Lat. 78°N in the summer. Mar. Biol. 79, 257–267 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Båmstedt, U. and K. S. Tande: Respiration and excretion rates of Calanus glacialis in arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Mar. Biol. 87, 259–266 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brett, J. R.: The metabolic demand for oxygen in fish, particularly salmonids, and a comparison with other vertebrates. Respir. Physiol. 14, 141–170 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodsky, K. A.: Calanoida of the far eastern seas and polar basin of the USSR. Keys to the fauna of the USSR. No. 35. Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem 1967

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, A.: Life in cold water: the physiological ecology of polai marine ectotherms. Oceanogr. mar. Biol. A. Rev. 21, 341–453 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Conover, R. J.: The feeding behavior and respiration of some marine planktonic crustacea. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 119, 399–415 (1960)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conover, R. J.: Metabolism and growth in Calanus hyperboreus in relation to its life cycle. Rapp. P.-V. Réun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 153, 190–197 (1962)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conover, R. J. and E. D. S. Corner: Respiration and nitrogen excretion by some marine zooplankton in relation to their life cycles. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 48, 49–75 (1968)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowles, T. J.: Effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of crude oil on the copepod Centropages hamatus II. Activity patterns. Mar. Biol. 78, 53–57 (1983)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowles, T. J. and J. R. Strickler: Characterization of feeding activity patterns in the planktonic copepod Centropages typicus (Krøyer) under various food conditions. Limnol. Oceanogr 28, 106–115 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vries, A. L.: The physiology of cold adaptation in polar marine poikilotherms. In: Polar oceans, pp 409–422. Ed. by M. J. Dunbar. Calgary: Arctic Institute of North America 1977

    Google Scholar 

  • Enright, J. T.: Copepods in a hurry: sustained high-speed upward migration. Limnol. Oceanogr. 22, 118–125 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleminger, A. and K. Hülsemann: Geographical range and taxonomic divergence in North Atlantic Calanus (C. helgolandicus, C. finmarchicus and C. glacialis). Mar. Biol. 40 233–248 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, F. E. J.: The aquatic respiration of fish. In: Physiology of fishes, Ch. 1. Ed. by M. E. Brown. New York: Academic Press 1957

    Google Scholar 

  • Fry, F. E. J.: The effect of environmental factors on the physiology of fish. In: Fish physiology, pp 1–98. Ed. by W. S. Hoar and D. J. Randall. New York: Academic Press 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauld, D. T.: The swimming and feeding of planktonic copepods. In: Some contemporary studies in marine science, pp 313–334. Ed. by H. Barnes. London: Allen and Unwin 1966

    Google Scholar 

  • George, R. Y.: Dissimilar and similar trends in Antarctic and Arctic marine benthos, In: Polar oceans, pp 391–408. Ed. by M. J. Dunbar. Calgary: Arctic Institute of North America 1977

    Google Scholar 

  • Grice, G. D.: Copepods collected by the nuclear submarine seadrag on a cruise to and from the North Pole, with remarks on their geographic distribution. J. mar. Res. 20, 97–109 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  • Halcrow, K. and C. M. Boyd: The oxygen consumption and swimming activity of the amphipod Gammarus oceanicus at different temperatures. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 23, 233–242 (1967)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haq, S. M.: Nutritional physiology of Metridia lucens and M. longa from the Gulf of Maine. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12, 40–51, (1967)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, A. C. and R. Bainbridge: Experimental observations on the vertical migrations of plankton animals. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 33, 409–448 (1954)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, J. E.: The role of endogenous rhythms in vertical migration. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 43, 153–166 (1963)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirche, H. J.: Overwintering of Calanus finmarchicus and Calanus helgolandicus. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 11, 281–290 (1983)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirche, H. J.: Temperature and metabolism of plankton. I. Respiration of Antarctic zooplankton at different temperatures with a comparison of Antarctic and nordic krill. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 77A, 361–368 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ivlev, V. S.: Consumption of energy during movement of shrimps. Zool. Zh. 42, 1465–1471 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ivleva, J. V.: Quantitative correlation of temperature and respiratory rate in poikilothermic animals. Pol. Arch. Hydrobiol. 20, 283–300 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaschnov, W. A.: Distribution of Calanus species in the seas of the Northern Hemisphere. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 55, 197–212 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klyashtorin, L. B., A. A. Yarzhombek: Energy consumption in movements of planktonic organisms. Oceanology 13, 575–580 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Laudien, H.: Changing reaction systems. In: Temperature and life, pp 355–399. Ed. by H. Prescht, H. Precht, J. Christophersen, H. Hensel and W. Larcher. Berlin: Springer 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowndes, A. G.: The swimming and feeding of certain calanoid copepods. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 105, 687–715 (1935)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, S. M.: Respiration and feeding in copepods. Adv. mar. Biol. 11, 57–120 (1973)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, S. M., A. G. Nicholls and A. P. Orr: On the biology of Calanus finmarchicus. VI. Oxygen consumption in relation to environmental conditions. J. mar. biol. Ass. U. K. 20, 1–27 (1935)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, S. M. and A. P. Orr: The biology of a marine copepod, 195 pp. London: Oliver and Boyd 1972

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, J. B. L., L. Hestad and J. L. W. Bakke: Ecological studies in Korsfjorden, Western Norway. The generations and stocks of Calanus hyperboreus and Calanus finmarchicus in 1971–1974. Oceanologica Acta 1, 277–284 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • McLaren, I. A., C. J. Corkett and E. J. Zillioux: Temperature adaptation of copepod eggs from the Arctic to the tropics. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 137, 486–493 (1969)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mickel, T. J. and J. J. Childress: The effect of pH on oxygen consumption and activity in the bathypelagic mysid Gnathophausia ingens. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 154, 138–147 (1978)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, M. J., G. Gust and J. J. Torres: Propulsion efficiency and cost of transport for copepods: a hydromechanical model of crustacean swimming. Mar. Biol. 86, 283–295 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlova, E. V.: Investigation of zooplankton motional activity and intensity of respiration from point of ecology. Rapp. P.-V. Réun., Comm. int. Explor. Sci. Mer Mediterr., Monaco 24, 169–170 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Prosser, C. L.: Comparative animal physiology, 966 pp. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co. 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. B. and B. W. Frost. Feeding by an omnivorous planktonic copepod Aetideus divergens Bradford. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 29, 231–244 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, M.: Faune de France. Copépodes pélagiques, 26, 374 pp. Paris, Repr Krans (1970), Nendlen/Liechtenstein 1933

  • Rosenthal, H.: Über die Geschwindigkeit der Springbewegungen bei Cyclops strenuus (Copepoda). Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. Hydrogr. 57, 157–167 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sars, G. O.: An account of the Crustacea of Norway, Vol. IV. Copepoda Calanoida, 171 pp. Bergen: Bergen Museum 1903

    Google Scholar 

  • Svetlichnyi, L. S., Y. A. Zagorodnaya and V. N. Stepanov: Bioenergetics of copepods Pseudocalanus elongatus during migration. Sov. J. mar. Biol. 3 430–436 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vlymen, W. J.: Energy expenditure of swimming copepods. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15, 348–356 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiborg, K. F.: Investigations on zooplankton in coastal and offshore waters of Western and Northwestern Norway. Fisk. Dir. Skr. Ser. Hav. Unders. 11, 1–246 (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, C. E.: Foraging behavior of a freshwater copepod: frequency changes in looping behavior at high and low prey densities. Oecologia 50, 332–336 (1981)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yule, A. B.: The effect of temperature on the swimming activity of barnacle nauplii. Mar. Biol. Lett. 5, 1–11 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar-und Meeresforschung, Columbusstraße, D-2850, Bremerhaven, Federal Republic of Germany

    H.-J. Hirche

Authors
  1. H.-J. Hirche
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hirche, HJ. Temperature and plankton. Mar. Biol. 94, 347–356 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428240

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428240

Keywords

Search

Navigation