Copepod Mortality due to Short-Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes.

Zooplankton, particularly copepods, are key components in aquatic food webs. However, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on copepods in marine systems, especially at tropical and subtropical latitudes, are not well understood. Incubations in UV and non-UV treatments during outdoor solar experiments at a subtropical latitude where copepods dominated the zooplankton community demonstrated that UV exposure led to 40%-50% higher mortality than in non-UV treatments after 4 h of exposure.

Revealing the profound influence of diapause on gene expression: Insights from the annual transcriptome of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus.

Annual rhythms are observed in living organisms with numerous ecological implications. In the zooplanktonic copepod Calanus finmarchicus, such rhythms are crucial regarding its phenology, body lipid accumulation, and global carbon storage. Climate change drives annual biological rhythms out of phase with the prevailing environmental conditions with yet unknown but potentially catastrophic consequences.

Annual transcriptome of a key zooplankton species, the copepod .

The copepod (Crustacea, Copepoda) is a key zooplanktonic species with a crucial position in the North Atlantic food web and significant contributor to ocean carbon flux. Like many other high latitude animals, it has evolved a programmed arrested development called diapause to cope with long periods of limited food supply, while growth and reproduction are timed to take advantage of seasonal peaks in primary production. However, anthropogenic warming is inducing changes in the expected timing of phytoplankton blooms, suggesting phenological mismatches with negative consequences for the N.