The composition of the zooplankton community in a macrotidal (8m), tropical estuarine system (Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia) was studied over a 2 year period.In all, 32 copepod species were recorded, with small euryhaline marine copepod species such as Parvocalanus crassirostris, Bestiolina similis and Oithona aruensis dominating the zooplankton. Salinity, temperature, silica, particulate phosphorus (PP), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), particulate nitrogen (PN) and total chlorophyll a were measured. Environmental variables were correlated with salinity, which had the strongest influence on community structure. Sites were grouped into three sample sets: River (BR - Blackmore River and ER - Elizabeth River); Inner Harbour (MA - Middle Arm and EA - East Arm); Middle (MH) and Outer (OH) Harbour. There was a significant drop in species richness from harbour to river sites. Samples were taken day and night at another site, B, to determine diurnal patterns.Seasons were designated as: Wet 2003 (December 2002 and February 2003), Dry 2003 (June and September 2003), Wet 2004 (December 2003 and February 2004), and Dry 2004 (July and October 2004).Plankton biomass was partitioned into 350µm size fractions. Average abundance (individual m-3) was measured and relative abundance (%) was calculated for the zooplankton community. Plankton abundances ranged between 30,000 and 110,000 m-3, and there were significant year, season and site differences. To describe biodiversity and determine the environmental factors that have the greatest impact on community structure. Copepod species: Acrocalanus gibber, A. gracilis, Arcatia pacifica, A. erythraea, A. fossae, A. sinjiensis, Bestiolina similis, Canthocalanus pauper, Corycaeus andrewsi, C. catus, C. dahli, C. dubius, C. pacificus, C. subtilis, Eucalanus pileatus, Euterina acutifrons, Labidocera minuta, Microstella sp., Oithona aruensis, O. attenuate, O. fallax, O. simplex, O. nana, O. nishidai, O. rigida, Onacea paraclevei, Paracalanus indicus, P. aculaeatus, P. aculaeatus minor, P. indicus, Parvocalanus crassirostris, Pseudodiaptomus sp., P. annandalei, P. griggae, P. mertoni, Tortanus barbartus; Calanoid, Cyclopoid, and Harpacticoid nauplii and copepodites.Other zooplankton components: Holoplankton (Chaetognatha, Euphausiid calyptosis, Appendicularia, Ostrocoda, Pteropoda, Salpida, decapod larvae); and Meroplankton (barnacle larvae, Bivalva, fish larvae, fish egg, Gastropoda, Polychaete, Brachyuran Zoea).A subset of the data has been provided to the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS, http://iobis.org/OBISWEB/DisplayMetaData.jsp?content=meta/1463.html).

Growth, secondary production and egg production rates of pelagic copepods near Australia's North West Cape were measured during the austral summers of 1997/1998 and 1998/1999. To assess zooplankton communities near North West Cape. Data collected in conjunction with separate dataset on copepod communities in a separate metadata record.

Reef associated zooplankton were sampled at a fixed site in the north of the lagoon of Davies Reef in June, September and December 1989 and April 1990. Three sampling techniques were used to sample the zooplankton community on each occasion. Analysis of samples focussed on the copepod community. Triplicate vertical hauls of a 150 cm long, 50 cm diameter, 64 µm plankton net were made through the full water column and also for the top 6m only. Samples were taken over a 24 hour period (2 tidal cycles) at times corresponding to low tide, mid-tide (rising), high tide and mid-tide (falling). After each set of net hauls, Niskin casts were made at 3, 6 and 9 m depth and near the bottom. Subsamples of the water were filtered through a 35 µm filter for determination of the number of nauplii and additional subsamples were taken for chlorophyll analysis. Swarming copepod species, not well sampled using plankton nets, were observed using SCUBA and samples were collected and identified when swarms were abundant.In the laboratory, the preserved net samples were subsampled. Counts were made of adult copepods, identified to species and sex where possible, and juveniles identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. This research was undertaken to describe diurnal, tidal and seasonal changes in the reef associated copepod community in the water column in the lagoon at Davies Reef.

Reef associated zooplankton were sampled at a fixed site in the north of the lagoon of Davies Reef in June, September and December 1989 and April 1990. Three sampling techniques were used to sample the zooplankton community on each occasion. Analysis of samples focussed on the copepod community. Triplicate vertical hauls of a 150 cm long, 50 cm diameter, 64 µm plankton net were made through the full water column and also for the top 6m only. Samples were taken over a 24 hour period (2 tidal cycles) at times corresponding to low tide, mid-tide (rising), high tide and mid-tide (falling). After each set of net hauls, Niskin casts were made at 3, 6 and 9 m depth and near the bottom. Subsamples of the water were filtered through a 35 µm filter for determination of the number of nauplii and additional subsamples were taken for chlorophyll analysis. Swarming copepod species, not well sampled using plankton nets, were observed using SCUBA and samples were collected and identified when swarms were abundant.In the laboratory, the preserved net samples were subsampled. Counts were made of adult copepods, identified to species and sex where possible, and juveniles identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. This research was undertaken to describe diurnal, tidal and seasonal changes in the reef associated copepod community in the water column in the lagoon at Davies Reef.

Zooplankton samples were collected at two sites in south eastern Tasmania, between the years 2000 and 2001 using two types of plankton net. Samples were collected using horizontal hauls during the daytime only. All copepods, salps and chaetognaths were identified and enumerated.

The Coastal & Oceanic Plankton Ecology, Production, & Observation Database (COPEPOD) provides NMFS scientists with quality-controlled, globally distributed plankton biomass, abundance, and composition data, along with other co-sampled physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic variables. COPEPOD provides in situ data along with spatial and temporal data products (i.e., high-resolution gridded mean fields and time series analyses), fulfilling the data needs of plankton scientists at a broad range of aggregations and resolutions (from individual species observations for taxonomists to global carbon fields for modelers).

Observations and samples from 200 monospecific copepod swarms of four species (Acartia australis, Acartia bispinosa, Centropages orsinii, Oithona oculata) were made on 11 coral reefs, 2 sea grass habitats, and several marine lakes from the central and northern Great Barrier Reef and in Palau.The date, species and location of each swarm was recorded. Other features recorded were: shape, width and length of swarm; depth of water, distance above substrate, other observations at the time of the swarm such as sky and state of the ocean (calm, etc.). Note that not all features were recorded for all swarms.At Davies Reef, a more detailed study was carried out with vertical density profiles at night and during the day, measurement of copepod size and determination of gender on 190 specimens. Eight swarm sizes were estimated by the use of 3 collection methods (net, plastic bags and photographic images). To provide additional information on the density of copepods within swarms. Locations:Great Barrier Reef: Adelaide, Big Broadhurst, Carter, Davies, Gilbey, Little Broadhurst; Rib and Yonge Reefs; Lizard and Magnetic Islands.Palau: Western reef, marine lakes on Kaibakku and Urukthapel Islands, in the solution notches surrounding the limestone island complex of Urukthapel, and in the sea grass beds off Koror.

Stock cultures of the copepods Bestiolina similis, Parvocalanus crassirostris and Acartia sinjiensis were maintained at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in a temperature controlled room (27 ± 0.5°C) in three 20 litre culture containers with gentle aeration and a 12:12 light:dark cycle. Cultures were fed to excess with mixtures of the microalgae Isochrysis sp., Tetraselmis chuii, Rhodomonas sp. and Heterocapsa niei. Cultures were monitored daily and nauplii were removed and used to seed fresh cultures. For each copepod species, samples of 200-300 eggs and nauplii were placed in each of eight 2.3 litre polycarbonate bottles and fed to excess with the same micro-algal species used to maintain stock cultures and the bottles were placed on a plankton wheel at 0.5 rpm. Three experiments were conducted for each species by taking sequential sets of eggs and nauplii from the same cultures. Bottles were sampled at least daily by pouring off enough volume to yield >30 copepods and the media returned to the bottle. Time (not for eggs), length and width (µm) of the developmental stages (egg, nauplii I-VI, copepodite I-V, adult) of the three copepod species were recorded. Gender was assigned to CV and adult stages. Female copepods were isolated from each stock culture and acclimated to uni-algal diets of either Chaetoceros muelleri, Dunaliella sp., Rhodomonas sp., Heterocapsa niei, Tetraselmis chuii, Isochrysis aff. galbana or Pavlova salina for 24 hours prior to egg production experiments. Egg production was measured for each combination of copepod species and uni-algal diet by placing five adult females in each of five 500 ml flasks containing uni-algal cultures and placing the flasks on a plankton wheel at 0.5 rpm. After 24 hours the contents were condensed and preserved for later counts of nauplii and eggs. To investigate the escape responses of each of the three copepod species, simulated predation experiments were conducted. Ten sets of animals of each size class and species, and the percentage of copepods removed by the siphon were recorded. Lipid composition (%), content (mg/g dry mass), and fatty acid compsition (%) were examined, and lipid ratios were calculated for each species. Selected samples were also examined for the sterol profile in each species. This research was undertaken to compare two small calanoid copepods, Bestiolina similis and Parvocalanus crassirostris, to the larger Acartia sinjiensis, for their aquaculture potential as live feeds in terms of size, productivity, availability and nutritional composition. To assess two species of copepods for their potential as live feeds in aquaculture. Acartia sinjiensis is the species of the copepod genus most commonly cultured to provide larval diets for tropical snappers and groupers.

This map shows copepod abundance in Albatross Bay, Gulf of Carpentaria. The biomass and species composition of tropical zooplankton in Albatross Bay, Gulf of Carpentaria, northern Australia, were examined monthly for three years between March 1986 and March 1988. Zooplankton taxonomic groups were identified to species level where possible, with a primary focus on copepods. Data is stored as mean number of individuals per site. Sampling occurred across 5 sites (Site 1 = Inshore, Site 5 = Offshore, Sites progressed westward). Temperature and salinity were also recorded for many samples. This map has been produced by CSIRO for the National Oceans Office, as part of an ongoing commitment to natural resource planning and management through the 'National Marine Bioregionalisation' project.