Copepods: Copepoda - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Behavior And Reproduction, Copepods And People, Conservation Status, No Common Name (oithona Plumifera): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, DIET
tiny eat organisms living
Copepods are found on every continent, including Antarctica. They also live in all of the world's oceans and seas.
As a group, copepods eat a wide variety of foods. Some species grab tiny organisms, or bits of their tissues, floating in the water. Others are specialists and will eat only tiny algae (AL-jee). Species living on the bottom usually scavenge dead organisms, but some prey on tiny animals. Parasites living on or inside their hosts feed on body tissues and fluids.
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Copepods are usually very small and measure 0.019 to 0.78 inches (0.5 to 20 millimeters) in length. A few free-living species, those that are not parasites, reach 0.7 inches (18 millimeters). Parasitic copepods spend most or all of their lives on or in the bodies of fish and eat their body fluids. Some whale parasites, such as Pennella balaenopterae, may grow up to 13 inches (330.2 millimeters). T…
Free-living copepods live in nearly all bodies of water on the planet, including temporary pools and rain puddles. Depending on the species, they are active in open water or live on or in sandy or muddy bottoms. They are often found among plants growing along the seashore. Many species swim near the surface of the ocean, while others are found to depths of 32,814 feet (10,000 meters). A few specie…
Many free-living copepods gather food from the water by using their antennae and maxillipeds. The swimming movements of these appendages help to create a flow of food-carrying water toward their mouths. Both male and female copepods are required for reproduction. Males locate females by following their pheromone trails in the water. Pheromones (FEH-re-moans) are chemicals that attract members of t…
Copepods are extremely abundant. It is estimated that there are more individual copepods on Earth (1.37 × 1021) than there are insects. They are a vital link in ocean food chains. They eat floating plants, which are then eaten by all kinds of fish. Many of these fish are harvested from the sea and used as food for people. A few freshwater species that are found in drinking water can spread …
Physical characteristics: Adult females measure 0.039 to 0.059 inches (1 to 1.5 millimeters) in length, while males are 0.029 to 0.039 inches (0.75 to 1 millimeters). The fore body is egg-shaped and has a beaklike projection on the front. The female's antennules have very long hairlike structures, while those of the male are bent. The max-illipeds are well developed. The first four pairs of…
Physical characteristics: Adult females measure 0.147 inches (3.75 millimeters) in length, while males are 0.074 inches (1.9 millimeters). The fore body is long and the mouthparts are absent. The antennules are short in both males and females; those of the males are bent. The first four pairs of thoracic limbs are well developed, but the last pair is small. They are in the shape of two rounded str…
Physical characteristics: Adult females measure 0.27 to 0.49 inches (7 to 12.5 millimeters) in length, while males are 0.17 to 0.26 inches (4.5 to 6.7 millimeters). Their bodies are flat from top to bottom. The antennules of both males and females are short. The clawed antennae and mouthparts are used to grab the skin of their hosts. The mouthparts form a cone-shaped structure. The third pair of t…
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