Abstract
The ostracod fauna of Baltic brackish-water rockpools is made up of two groups: permanent members of the pools, and occasional guests from the littoral zone. The former group consists of Heterocypris salinus, H. incongruens and Cypridopsis aculeata. These species are characterized by rapid development (which starts when the water temperature approaches 15°C), a short life span, and 2 or 3 separate generations during the summer and autumn. The number of generations is determined by water temperature. Hibernation always takes place as eggs. Hatching and development during the late spring or early summer has been found to be mostly simultaneous. The spawning of the 3 species always starts epidemically. Reproduction is entirely parthenogenetic in the investigated area. Under natural conditions, C. aculeata may be found with either H. salinus or H. incongruens, but these two latter species have never been recorded together. H. incongruens is less tolerant to high salinities than the other 2 species and, even after successive adaptation, it does not resist salinities higher than 16‰. H. salinus has been found in 35.2‰ S in the field, and has been kept in 30‰ S in the laboratory after successive adaptation. The optimum salinity-temperature range for this species is 5 to 10‰ S and 15°C, when both survival and development are considered. Corresponding figures for C. aculeata are 0.5 to 20‰ S and 15°C, although this species, like H. salinus, survives longest at 5°C. The very rapid development, parthenogenetic reproduction and short life span of these species must be considered as favourable adaptations to the variable and unstable environment of the rockpool ecosystems.
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Communicated by B. Swedmark, Fiskebäckskil
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Ganning, B. On the ecology of Heterocypris salinus, H. incongruens and Cypridopsis aculeata (Crustacea: Ostracoda) from Baltic brackish-water rockpools. Marine Biology 8, 271–279 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348009
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348009