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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems
Published on: July 30, 2019
Small effective population sizes in two planktonic freshwater copepod species (Eudiaptomus) with apparently large
M Zeller1, T B H Reusch, W Lampert
1Max-Planck Institute for Limnology, Plön, Germany. mzeller72@aol.com
Abstract:
In small planktonic organisms, large census sizes (N(c)) suggest large effective population sizes (N(e)), but reliable estimates are rare. Here, we present N(e)/N(c) ratios for two freshwater copepod species (Eudiaptomus sp.) using temporal samples of multilocus microsatellite genotypes and a pseudo-likelihood approach. N(e)/N(c) ratios were very small in both Eudiaptomus species (10(-7)-10(-8)). Although we hypothesized that the species producing resting eggs (E. graciloides) had a larger N(e) than the other (E. gracilis), estimates were not statistically different (E. graciloides: N(e) = 672.7, CI: 276-1949; E. gracilis: N(e) = 1027.4, CI: 449-2495), suggesting that the propagule bank of E. graciloides had no detectable influence on N(e).
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