Seasonal dynamics of the copepod community in a tropical monsoonal estuary and the role of sex ratio in their abundance pattern.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:As salinity is considered the prime "ecological master factor" governing the zooplankton distribution and abundance in estuaries, a spatio-temporal interactive approach was followed to assess whether the responses of the estuarine copepod community towards the salinity are always direct with a strong positive affinity or whether there exist any complexities in their interrelationship. The study, also for the first time, addressed the role of sex ratio in governing the abundance and the population structure of copepods in the tropical monsoonal estuarine system. RESULTS:The ecological scenario in the Cochin estuary revealed that irrespective of the season, higher zooplankton abundance occurred in the mesohaline zone (MSZ; salinity 5-18) of the estuary, despite the pronounced spat

SUBMITTER: Vineetha G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6661511 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature