Omnivory by the coastal marine copepods Centropages hamatus and Labidocera aestiva

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Abstract
Omnivory by the 2 coastal marine copepods C. hamatus (Lilljeborg) and L. aestiva Wheeler was examined in laboratory grazing and predation experiments. Co-occurring food items were utilized. C. hamatus ingested more C in the form of plant material (.hivin.x = 2.05 .mu.gC copepod-1 d[day]-1) than did L. aestiva (.hivin.x = 0.66 .mu.gC copepod-1 d-1). Conversely, L. aestiva injested more C in the form of animal food (.hivin.X = 3.35 .mu.gC copepod-1 d-1) than did C. hamatus (.hivin.x = 0.98 .mu.gC copepod-1 d-1). Rates of ingestion of copepod nauplii and phytoplankton by both C. hamatus and L. aestiva increased significantly with increasing food concentrations and temperatures. Average grazing and predation rates of C. hamatus and L. aestiva up on natural phytoplankton assemblages and nauplii appeared to follow biomass peaks. The maximum field concentration of C. hamatus (722 m-3) appeared capable of daily ingesting means of 0.85% of phytoplankton C and 8.23% of the copepod napulii present. Maximum field concentration of adult L. aestiva (8 m-3) appeared capable of ingesting means of only 0.01% of phytoplankton C and 0.29% of the copepod nauplii present.