The Respiration of some Planktonic copepods II. The Effect Of Temperature

Abstract

The respiratory rates of three species of planktonic copepods, Acartia clausi, Centropages hamatus and Temora longicornis, were measured at four different temperatures.The relationship between respiratory rate and temperature was found to be similar to that previously found for Calanus, although the slope of the curves differed in the different species.The observations on Centropages at 13 and 170 C. can be divided into two groups and it is suggested that the differences are due to the use of copepods from two different generations.The relationship between the respiratory rates and lengths of Acartia and Centropages agreed very well with that previously found for other species. That for Temora was rather different: the difference is probably due to the distinct difference in the shape of the body of Temora from those of the other species.The application of these measurements to estimates of the food requirements of the copepods is discussed.