Abstract
Hydrography and copepod abundances (Acartia tonsa, Eurytemora affinis, and nauplii) were regularly monitored for 2 years in sub-estuaries of the lower Chesapeake Bay. Copepod vital status was determined using neutral red. Abundances of A. tonsa copepodites and nauplii peaked in late summer and were related to water temperature. E. affinis was present in early fall and winter–spring. Copepod carcasses were a persistent feature in the plankton from 2007 to 2009, with similar annual patterns of occurrence during both years. The relative abundance of carcasses varied among species and developmental stages, with means of 30% dead for stages NI–NIII copepod nauplii, 12–15% for stages NIV–NVI nauplii and A. tonsa copepodites, and 4–8% for E. affinis copepodites. Percent dead was also higher for adult male than female A. tonsa. No strong relationships were found between measured hydrographic variables and percent dead, but the higher percent dead in young nauplii and adult male A. tonsa may indicate greater susceptibility of these stages to death from environmental stressors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Avery, D.E., K.J.K. Altland, and H.G. Dam. 2008. Sex-related differential mortality of a marine copepod exposed to a toxic dinoflagellate. Limnology and Oceanography 53: 2627–2635.
Bickel, S.L., and K.W. Tang. 2010. Microbial decomposition of proteins and lipids in copepod versus rotifer carcasses. Marine Biology 157: 1613–1624.
Brownlee, D.C., and F. Jacobs. 1987. Mesozooplankton and microzooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay. In Contaminant problems and management of living Chesapeake Bay resources, ed. S.K. Malumadar, L.W. Hall, and H.M. Austin, 217–267. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences.
Calbet, A., and M. Alcaraz. 1997. Growth and survival rates of early developmental stages of Acartia grani (Copepoda, Calanoida) in relation to food concentration and fluctuations in food supply. Marine Ecology Progress Series 147: 181–186.
Cervetto, G., R. Gaudy, and M. Pagano. 1999. Influence of salinity on the distribution of Acartia tonsa (Copepoda, Calanoida). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 239: 33–45.
Chinnery, F.E., and J.A. Williams. 2004. The influence of temperature and salinity on Acartia (Copepoda: Calanoida) nauplii survival. Marine Biology 145: 733–738.
Cuker, B.E., and M.A. Watson. 2002. Diel vertical migration of zooplankton in contrasting habitats of the Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 25: 296–307.
Elliott, D.T., and K.W. Tang. 2009. Simple staining method for differentiating live and dead marine zooplankton in field samples. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 7: 585–594.
Elliott, D.T., C.K. Harris, and K.W. Tang. 2010. Dead in the water: The fate of copepod carcasses in the York River estuary, Virginia. Limnology and Oceanography 55: 1821–1834.
Gomez-Gutierrez, J., W.T. Peterson, A. De Robertis, and R.D. Brodeur. 2003. Mass mortality of krill caused by parasitoid ciliates. Science 301: 339.
Hagy, J.D., W.R. Boynton, C.W. Wood, and K.V. Wood. 2004. Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay, 1950–2001: Long-term changes in relation to nutrient loading and river flow. Estuaries 27: 634–658.
Hall, L.W., M.C. Ziegenfuss, R.D. Anderson, and W.D. Killen. 1995. Use of estuarine water column tests for detecting toxic conditions in ambient areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14: 267–278.
Hansen, B.W., and W.H.M. van Boekel. 1991. Grazing pressure of the calanoid copepod Temora longicornis on a Phaeocystis dominated spring bloom in a Dutch tidal inlet. Marine Ecology Progress Series 78: 123–129.
Harding, L.W., and E.S. Perry. 1997. Long-term increase of phytoplankton biomass in Chesapeake Bay, 1950–1994. Marine Ecology Progress Series 157: 39–52.
Heinle, D.R. 1966. Temperature and zooplankton. Chesapeake Science 10: 186–209.
Hirche, H.J. 1992. Egg production of Eurytemora affinis—Effect of k-strategy. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 35: 395–407.
Holste, L., and M.A. Peck. 2006. The effects of temperature and salinity on egg production and hatching success of Baltic Acartia tonsa (Copepoda: Calanoida): A laboratory investigation. Marine Biology 148: 1061–1070.
Huntley, M.E., and M.G.D. Lopez. 1992. Temperature dependent production of marine copepods: A global synthesis. The American Naturalist 140: 201–242.
Kemp, W.M., W.R. Boyton, J.E. Adolf, D.F. Boesch, W.C. Boicourt, G. Brush, J.C. Cornwell, T.R. Fisher, P.M. Glibert, J.D. Hagy, L.W. Harding, E.D. Houde, D.G. Kimmel, W.D. Miller, R.I.E. Newell, M.R. Roman, E.M. Smith, and J.C. Stevenson. 2005. Eutrophication of Chesapeake Bay: Historical trends and ecological interactions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 303: 1–29.
Kimmel, D.G., and M.R. Roman. 2004. Long-term trends in mesozooplankton abundance in Chesapeake Bay USA: Influence of freshwater input. Marine Ecology Progress Series 267: 71–83.
Kimmerer, W.J., and A.D. McKinnon. 1990. High mortality in a copepod population caused by a parasitic dinoflagellate. Marine Biology 107: 449–452.
Kiørboe, T. 2006. Sex, sex-ratios, and the dynamics of pelagic copepod populations. Oecologia 148: 40–50.
Kiørboe, T. 2007. Mate finding, mating, and population dynamics in a planktonic copepod Oithona davisae: There are too few males. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 1511–1522.
Leech, D.M., and C.E. Williamson. 2000. Is tolerance to UV radiation in zooplankton related to body size, taxon, or lake transparency? Ecological Applications 10: 1530–1540.
Lopez, M.G.D. 1996. Effect of starvation on development and survivorship of naupliar Calanus pacificus (Brodsky). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 203: 133–146.
Mauchline, J. 1998. The biology of calanoid copepods. In Advances in marine biology, eds. J.H. Blaxter, A. Southward, and P.A. Tyler, 1–13. NY: Academic710.
Morales, C.E., R.P. Harris, R.N. Head, and P.R.G. Tranter. 1993. Copepod grazing in the oceanic northeast Atlantic during a six week drifting station: the contribution of size classes and vertical migrants. Journal of Plankton Research 15: 185–211.
Ohman, M.D. 1984. Omnivory by Euphausia pacifica: The role of copepod prey. Marine Ecology Progress Series 19: 125–131.
Ohman, M.D., and S.N. Wood. 1995. The inevitability of mortality. ICES Journal of Marine Science 52: 517–522.
Peck, M.A., and L. Holste. 2006. Effects of salinity, photoperiod and adult stocking density on egg production and egg hatching success in Acartia tonsa (Calanoida: Copepoda): Optimizing intensive cultures. Aquaculture 255: 341–350.
Purcell, J.E., and M.B. Decker. 2005. Effects of climate on relative predation by scyphomedusae and ctenophores on copepods in Chesapeake Bay during 1987–2000. Limnology and Oceanography 50: 376–387.
Rodríguez-Graña, L., D. Calliari, P. Tiselius, B.W. Hansen, and H.N. Sköld. 2010. Gender-specific ageing and non-Mendelian inheritance of oxidative damage in marine copepods. Marine Ecology Progress Series 401: 1–13.
Roman, M.R., A.L. Gauzens, W.K. Rhinehart, and J.R. White. 1993. Effects of low oxygen waters on Chesapeake Bay zooplankton. Limnology and Oceanography 38: 1603–1614.
Roman, M.R., D.V. Holliday, and L.P. Sanford. 2001. Temporal and spatial patterns of zooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay turbidity maximum. Marine Ecology Progress Series 213: 215–227.
Steinberg, D.K., and R.H. Condon. 2009. Zooplankton of the York River. Journal of Coastal Research 57: 66–79.
Taft, J.L., W.R. Taylor, E.O. Hartwig, and R. Loftus. 1980. Seasonal oxygen depletion in Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 3: 242–247.
Tang, K.W., H.G. Dam, and L.R. Feinberg. 1998. The relative importance of egg production rate, hatching success, hatching duration and egg sinking in population recruitment of two species of marine copepods. Journal of Plankton Research 20: 1971–1987.
Tang, K.W., C.S. Freund, and C.L. Schweitzer. 2006a. Occurrence of copepod carcasses in the lower Chesapeake Bay and their decomposition by ambient microbes. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 68: 499–508.
Tang, K.W., K.M.L. Hutalle, and H.P. Grossart. 2006b. Microbial abundance, composition and enzymatic activity during decomposition of copepod carcasses. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 45: 219–227.
Tang, K.W., C.S. Freund, A.N. Parrish, and S.L. Bickel. 2007. A simple staining method for differentiating live and dead copepods in natural samples. Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference. Providence, RI
Tang, K.W., S.L. Bickel, C. Dziallas, and H.P. Grossart. 2009. Microbial activities accompanying decomposition of cladoceran and copepod carcasses under different environmental conditions. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 57: 89–100.
Threlkeld, S.T. 1976. Starvation and the size structure of zooplankton communities. Freshwater Biology 6: 489–496.
Uye, S. 1986. Impact of a copepod grazing on the red-tide flagellate Chatonella antiqua. Marine Biology 92: 35–43.
Waggett, R., and J.H. Costello. 1999. Capture mechanisms used by the lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, preying on the copepod Acartia tonsa. Journal of Plankton Research 21: 2037–2052.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) OCE-0814558 awarded to KWT. DTE also received financial support from NSF GK-12 (DGE-0840804 awarded to KWT). The authors thank M.A. Lynch and C.S. Freund for technical assistance. This paper is Contribution No. 3135 of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William & Mary.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elliott, D.T., Tang, K.W. Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Live and Dead Copepods in the Lower Chesapeake Bay (Virginia, USA). Estuaries and Coasts 34, 1039–1048 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9380-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9380-z