Experimental Observations on the Effects of Copper on Copepods and Other Zooplankton: Controlled Ecosystem Pollution Experiment

Laboratory experiments were performed on ingestion, filtration, and fecal pellet production rates of the copepods Pseudocalanus sp. and Calanus sp. and on the feeding rates of Euphausia sp. and Pleurobrachia sp. taken from controlled environmental ecosystems to which 0, 5, and 10 μg/l copper had been added. In all cases, reduced activity could be demonstrated at these copper concentrations compared with populations from environmental controls. Data from sediment traps placed in the ecosystems suggested that effects of egg and fecal pellet production could also be observed. Population control by predation and grazing is also discussed.