Ecology of the dominant copepod species at a Low Arctic site

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Author: Hebert, Paul D. N.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1985
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Churchill; Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z85-172; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z85-172

Four species of calanoid copepod regularly co-occur in tundra ponds near Churchill, Manitoba. Despite the physical uniformity of the habitats they occupy, twofold variation in body size and fivefold variation in brood size existed among conspecific populations of each species. Size shifts were concordant in the sexes, but the extent of sexual dimorphism was size dependent in each species. Size differences among populations persisted through two summers. The three herbivorous species showed parallel variation in body sizes and fecundities, while the predatory species did not. The size covariation in the herbivorous taxa may reflect significant overlap in resource use despite their size divergence.