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Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Individual Culturing of Tigriopus Copepods and Quantitative Analysis of Their Mate-guarding Behavior
Published on: September 26, 2018
Diversity and functional groups of copepods as a tool for interpreting trophic relationships and ecosystem
Adriana V Araujo1, Cristina O Dias2, Sérgio L C Bonecker3
1Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Biologia e Biotecnologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20270-021, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20270-021, Brazil.
Abstract:
We examined trophic relationships in estuarine planktonic food webs by focusing on the assemblages and functional groups of copepods and their effects on prey and predator. We also studied the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in estuaries using different taxonomic and functional diversity indices of copepod assemblages and copepod biomass as a proxy of ecosystem functioning. We collected samples every 2 months over a 2-year period in four Brazilian estuaries. Taxonomic diversity indices showed a positive and negative relationship with chaetognath densities and ecosystem functioning, respectively. The functional indices were negatively related to the effect of predator diversity on prey. Different functional groups of copepods were positively correlated with chaetognath density, consistent with their generalist feeding habits. Thus, multifaceted approaches that use different indices and functional groups are recommended to provide a more realistic view of the trophic relationships and ecosystem functioning in estuaries.
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