Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS37 Zooplankton

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 2:15:00 PM

Location: Aztec

Waggett, R, J, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE, PORT ARANSAS, USA, WAGGETT@UTMSI.UTEXAS.EDU

Buskey, E, J, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE, PORT ARANSAS, USA, BUSKEY@UTMSI.UTEXAS.EDU

COMPARISON OF THE ESCAPE BEHAVIOR OF TWO SIMILAR COPEPOD SPECIES, PARACALANUS PARVUS AND TEMORA TURBINATA

Recent discovery of myelin within the neurosensory system of some calanoid copepods has lead to the hypothesis that species with myelinated nerves would exhibit superior escape responses compared to those of similar species lacking such myelination. To examine the benefits of myelination, this study compares the escape behavior of two calanoid copepod species of similar size (~0.8 mm) and swimming pattern. The selected species, Temora turbinata and Paracalanus parvus, differ in their neurophysiology; Paracalanus parvus is equipped with myelinated axons, and should be capable of eliciting escape responses more rapidly than the non-myelinated T. turbinata. Furthermore, preliminary studies indicate that P. parvus is more sensitive than T. turbinata to standardized hydrodynamic disturbances. However, upon exposure to a vertebrate predator, Acantheblemaria spinosa (spinyhead blenny), no significant differences in capture success arose. The blennies fed comparably upon both species, and the myelination offered no advantage to P. parvus escape success. These results suggest that myelination is not the only key to copepod survival, and perhaps this may be one reason why non-myelinated calanoid copepod species have persisted in spite of the apparent advantages of myelination.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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