Histology and histochemistry of the reproductive potential of Acartia clausi (copepoda: calanoida)

Abstract

The seasonal fluctuations in zooplankton densities in temperate climates have been long known and the multiplicity of performed studies identified a vast number of factors responsible for these phenomena, such as changes in the physico-chemical factors and other such types of environmental forces governing them. Acartia clausi is a euryaline temperate-boreal species very common in the Portuguese coastal ecosystems, in both estuarine and coastal waters. It is usually described as a temperate water species of neritic calanoid copepod, which is associated with warmer water regions, and as a result becomes more abundant in the summer months, reaching a biomass maximum during the months of July and August. Growth and egg production have been studied extensively in some Acartia species. In the present study histology and histochemistry were selected to determine the reproductive potential of A. clausi.