Copepods life-cycle

The invertebrate phyla are often neglected in ecotoxicological testing protocols. A token invertebrate species such as the copepod Daphnia may be used to evaluate the effects on extremely diverse phyla. This neglects the diversity of biochemical and physiological functions that may render different phyla vulnerable to different classes of compound at different stages of their life cycles. 

Chandler, G.T., Cary, T.L., Volz, D.C., Walse, S.S., Ferry, J.L., and Klosterhaus, S.L. Fibronil effects on estuarine copepod (Amphiascus tenuiremid) development, fertility, and reproduction a rapid life cycle assay in 96-well microplate format. Environ. Toxicol Chem., 24(1) 117-124, 2004. 

Conover, R. J., and Hundey, M. (1991). Copepods in ice-covered seas. Distribution, adaptation to seasonally limited food, metabohsm, growth patterns and life cycle strategies in polar seas.J. Mar. Syst. 2, 1-41. 

Byers JA, Castle SJ. 2005. Areawide models comparing synchronous versus asynchronous treatments for control of dispersing insect pests. J Econ Entomol 98 1763-1773. Chandler GT, Cary TL, Bejarano AC, Pender J, Ferry JL. 2004. Population consequences of fipronil and degradates to copepods at field concentrations an integration of life cycle testing with Leslie matrix population modeling. Environ Sci Technol 38 6407-6414. 

The zooplankton include a number of major taxonomic groups of animals, either for their entire life cycle or for short periods, as in the case of the larval stages of some fishes, polychaetes, crustaceans and molluscs. From among these types of zooplankton by far the most important group are the Crustacea, and of these, the copepods are the most predominant and have thus received most attention (Crisp, 1975). 

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