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The relationships of sex size ratio and season to mating intensity in some calanoid copepods 1
Author(s) -
DeFrenza Joe,
Kirner Robert J.,
Maly Edward J.,
van Leeuwen Henry C.
Publication year - 1986
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.1986.31.3.0491
Subject(s) - sex ratio , biology , copepod , mating , spermatophore , ecology , zoology , seasonal breeder , sexually active , crustacean , demography , population , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , sociology , immunology
Samples of four species of calanoid copepod were analyzed to obtain the sex size ratios and the percentage of females carrying a clutch or spermatophore. A multiple regression model was developed to determine if the percentage of successfully mated females was related to either season or sex size ratio. Three of the species had peaks in sexual activity when sex size ratios approached the mean ratios observed in nature, but the fourth did not exhibit such a peak. Three species appeared most sexually active in summer months; the fourth was more sexually active during the colder months. We hypothesize that characteristic sex size ratios promote successful copulation and that co‐occurrence of species of similar size is more likely if there are temporal differences in sexual activity.