Respiration rates of copepod larvae and a ciliate from Bowling Green Bay, North Queensland

Created 23/06/2025

Updated 23/06/2025

Laboratory experiments were carried out on copepod larvae and a ciliate (Placus sp.), collected from inshore waters in Bowling Green Bay. Surface seawater was collected at the same time and filtered for later use in experiments. Five series of experiments were conducted on the copepod larvae, which were separated from phytoplankton and other material in the plankton samples, using the phototactic response of the zooplankton. Two series of experiments were carried out on the ciliate, Placus sp., which was collected in an almost pure sample from the study site.A series of experiments consisted of between 5 and 12 measurements on animals from a plankton sample. A new sub-sample of animals, consisting of between 200 and 1300 individuals was used for each measurement. Each series was completed within 2-7 hours of collection, except for one of the copepod samples, when measurements commenced one day after collection.Respiration rates were measured using an oxygen electrode method. At the end of each measurement, the animals were preserved and later counted under a dissecting microscope. For each experimental series, animals were pooled and the size distribution measured with a Coulter Counter TAII.Average biovolume was calculated, based on the diameters of animals in each experimental series. This value was then used to calculate average body wet weight (µg). This research was initiated to:1. measure respiration rates of microzooplankton (2. compare the results with published respiration rates of other similar sized animals and net-zooplankton (>200-300 µm body size)3. estimate the relative importance of microzooplankton respiration to total zooplankton respiration in tropical marine ecosystems.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Respiration rates of copepod larvae and a ciliate from Bowling Green Bay, North Queensland
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/285ef826-1e8a-4581-a987-be4a7c66b986
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
reception@aims.gov.au
Reference Period 20/11/2017
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    147.066667,
    -19.283333
  ],
  "type": "Point"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Respiration rates of copepod larvae and a ciliate from Bowling Green Bay, North Queensland". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/respiration-rates-of-copepod-larvae-and-a-ciliate-from-bowling-green-bay-north-queensland1