RESPIRATION OF THE MEIOBENTHIC HARPACTICOID COPEPOD, TACHIDIUS-DISCIPES GIESBRECHT, FROM AN ESTUARINE MUDFLAT

The relationships between respiration (R) and body volume (V) for all developmental stages of the harpacticoid copepod Tachidius discipes Giesbrecht have been investigated. The relationships for laboratory-reared animals and animals from the field are significantly different. They are: log R = -0.07 + 1.10 log V for laboratory-reared animals and log R = -0.10 + 0.82 log V for field animals. The effect of temperature on the respiration rate of adult males, over the temperature range 5-20°C, was described by a Q10 of 2.09 ± 0.24. The respiration rate of an adult T. discipes is very similar to that of a similar sized nematode from the same field site and is compared with published data for other harpacticoids. © 1979.