Latitudinal Differentiation in Copepod Growth: An Adaptation to Temperature

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Abstract
We demonstrate the presence of significant differentiation in development rate, adult body length, and stomatic growth rate in the estuarine harpacticoid copepod Scottolana canadensis (Willey) collected from a broad range of latitudes (27°—43° N) and reared in the laboratory for several generations under the same conditions (15 g salts per 1000 g seawater, and 15°, 20°, 25°, or 28°C). The changing pattern of differential growth with increased temperature suggests local adaptation to maximize scope for growth under prevailing temperatures conditions; northern—derived individuals grew faster at low but not at high temperatures.