Visual predation by the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica
Experiments showed that Meganyctiphanes norvegica are visual predators on copepods. Adult M. norvegica were offered a mixture of equal numbers of late stage Calanus spp. and Metridia longa in total darkness and at a light intensity corresponding to their daytime habitat. Predation rates were 3 times...
Published in: | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Inter-Research
2001
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11250/108615 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps209295 |
Summary: | Experiments showed that Meganyctiphanes norvegica are visual predators on copepods. Adult M. norvegica were offered a mixture of equal numbers of late stage Calanus spp. and Metridia longa in total darkness and at a light intensity corresponding to their daytime habitat. Predation rates were 3 times higher in the illuminated containers than in the dark ones (7 vs 2.3 copepods krill-1 18h-1), and higher on M. longa than on Calanus spp. in both light (1.3 times) and darkness (2.3 times). Swimming speeds of M. longa were about 10 times faster than those of Calanus spp., making M. longa more susceptible to mechanical detection. |
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