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Some further observations on diaptomid body size and clutch size relationships 1
Author(s) -
Maly Edward J.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1983.28.1.0148
Subject(s) - copepod , avian clutch size , biology , plankton , ecology , clutch , cell size , zoology , reproduction , crustacean , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , thermodynamics
Plankton samples were taken from lakes and ponds near Montreal in 1978 and 1979. Length and clutch size of all calanoid copepod species, and egg diameters of two common species were measured. Correlations of clutch size and female length vary widely among lakes and sampling dates, but tend to be highly positive in populations increasing in body size and low or negative in populations decreasing in body size. It is concluded that optimum adult size is not always found: conditions favoring large or small individuals during development may change, resulting in “too large” or “too small” reproductively mature individuals.