Research on Swarming Mechanisms of Coral Reef Copepods

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基本資料

Project title

Code/計畫編號

NSC97-2621-B019-004

Translated Name/計畫中文名

珊瑚礁橈足類之群聚機制研究

Project Coordinator/計畫主持人

Jiang-Shiou Hwang

Funding Organization/主管機關

National Science and Technology Council

Department/Unit

Institute of Marine Biology

Website

https://www.grb.gov.tw/search/planDetail?id=1676438

Year

2008

Start date/計畫起

01-08-2008

Expected Completion/計畫迄

31-07-2009

Bugetid/研究經費

808千元

ResearchField/研究領域

生物科學

"Hamner & Carleton (1979) 報告指出橈足類在珊瑚礁生態系中逢生殖季節時會有交配群集出現，其密集之程度可達每立方公尺海水中有一百五十萬隻橈足類出現，但根據過去四年以來在墾丁海域之持續拖網採樣目前尚未發現有交配群集大量出現於珊瑚礁海域之現象，但微生態系的觀察則橈足類的群聚現象是常見的，因此未來三年本研究將著重探索橈足類在珊瑚礁區的群聚特性、成因與有何演化上的利益。一般而言，橈足類在珊瑚礁生態系中提供許多珊瑚礁魚類與肉食性無脊椎動物尤其是肉食性珊瑚之重要食物來源，而且橈足類在能量傳遞過程中又是將基礎生產者之有機碳傳遞至高階消費者之重要媒介，所以瞭解橈足類在墾丁珊瑚礁系之季節性變化與攝食效應對瞭解墾丁珊瑚礁生態系之能量傳遞機制極為必要，由過去四年之資料顯示，橈足類在墾丁之攝食效應範圍從0.15~29.7％平均為5.76％，所以橈足類對浮游植物之攝食效應也扮演了重要的角色。本研究主要利用海研三號每季至墾丁珊瑚礁拖網採集表層與底層浮游動物，藉此瞭解橈足類在墾丁珊瑚礁生態系之季節性變化情形。此外本研究亦利用電子顯微鏡技術直接觀察橈足類的胃內容物，所觀察的橈足類以墾丁海域優勢橈足類Temora turbinata、 Cosmocalanus darwinii、Farranula gibbula。此三種橈足類為墾丁海域之季節性優勢種橈足類，因此使用此三種橈足類作為胃內容物觀察之物種較具有代表性。由於過去我們曾在珊瑚礁生態系中利用海底雷射儀持續性監測橈足類在珊瑚礁生態系日夜變化之情形發現橈足類曾有在午夜大量出現之紀錄，因此本研究未來三年將著重探索橈足類的群聚特性、成因以及形成群聚現象有何優勢，研究中除了珊瑚礁中的海底實際調查外並觀察橈足類在研究室中什麼因子可以造成它們的群聚現象。" "Copepods play a very important role in coral reef ecosystem. It was estimated that the densities of copepods were up to 1.5 million per cubic meter in mating swarms in coral reef environments (Hamner & Carleton 1979). However, The massive mating swarms of copepods did not observe in the coral reefs of Ken-Tin during past two years. Nonetheless, copepods are the most dominant group among zooplankton. Therefore, reef copepods may play a vital role in the energy flow of the coral reef ecosystem. Basically, copepods are major food sources for many coral reef fishes and the carnivorous invertebrates, particularly a good food source for those carnivous corals. Copepods are important trophic links in the coral reef ecosystem. Thus, the flow of matter and energy to these higher levels is largely governed by copepods. In the past two years, the feeding impact of copepods on phytoplankton in coral reefs of Ken-Tin was detected in the range from 0.15% to 29.7% and the feeding impact was in average of 5.67%. Therefore, the feeding impact of copepods on phytoplankton plays a significant role in the coral reef ecosystem of Ken-Tin. Seasonal variations and SEM examination gut contents of copepods will be carried out in these reef copepods in order to understand the energy flow of the coral reef ecosystem. Our most detailed information on the feeding ecology of reef copepods comes from cinematographic observations by Crittercam. We now know that these reef copepods are occasionally massive swarming during midnight. Copepods are generally not randomly distributed in their natural habitats: they show differences in their distribution (=patchiness). One of the causes for patchy distribution patterns are social aggregations or the performance of swarming behavior. Swarming behaviour is affected by the interactions of swarming animals with light cues, water currents and turbulence, behavior of predators and prey, and the abundance of other trophic levels. Swarming copepods are suggested to have greater mating success than if not swarming. Reproductive success is essential for the survival of organisms. In the case of sexual reproduction, the first step in this process is to locate a potential mate of the same species and opposite sex who also is in appropriate reproductive state and receptive to mating. Swarming may also offer some protection from fish predation since zooplankton aggregations and copepod swarms were repeatedly found in high densities of small, planktivorous fish. Since the fish only pick individual copepods it is suggested that swarms confuse the fish and discourage some predation. We will perform a detailed analysis of the kinetics of the aggregation behavior of Pseudodiaptomus anandalei using high-speed video (500 frames s–1) and computerized motion-analysis. Laser light will be used to elicit social aggregation responses in these free-swimming copepods."

Keyword(s)

橈足類
珊瑚礁
群聚效應
copepods
coral reef
swarming

DSpace CRIS

Research on Swarming Mechanisms of Coral Reef Copepods

基本資料

Description