Chalker-Scott, L. (1995). Survival and sex ratios of the intertidal copepod, Tigriopus californicus, following ultraviolet-B (290-320 nm) radiation exposure. Marine Biology, Berlin. 123(4):799-804.

80735

Chalker-Scott, L.

1995

123(4):799-804.

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The marine harpacticoid copepod, Tigriopus californicus (Baker), is a successful colonizer of supralittoral splash pools from Torch Bay, Alaska, to Baja California, Mexico. As these pools are subject to abundant amounts of direct solar radiation, it was of interest to determine the sensitivity of T. californicus to ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 290 to 320 nm) radiation. During 1980, copepods were raised under diurnal conditions in the laboratory and fed a mixture of unicellular algae and bacteria. Larval and adult stages were irradiated for 0 to 26 h on a rotating turntable under enhanced ultraviolet radiation. Following irradiation, the copepods were maintained in the culture area and checked daily for survival. All life stages of T. californicus tolerated enhanced UV-B radiation irrespective of exposure period; in contrast, survival of an irradiated planktonic copepod, Acartia clausii (Giesbrecht), was significantly lower. Additionally, there appeared to be asex ratio shift in adults that developed from the youngest naupliar stages (N1/N2) of T. californicus that were irradiated. Extraction and tentative identification of the pigment(s) responsible for the bright orange color of the carapace of T. californicus were performed. These pigments may function to absorb UV radiation and protect internal structures from photochemically induced damage.

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