Ecology and role of benthic copepods in northern lakes

Freshwater benthic Harpacticoida consist of species capable of swimming, but mostly burrowing in organic sediments, and small, vermiform species that are poor swimmers and live in interstitial systems. Freshwater benthic Cyclopoida are either agile epibenthic and often relatively large herbivores, carnivores and omnivores, or small infaunal omnivores. Harpacticoids seem to have few, mainly invertebrate, predators, and consequently low mortality and long life span. These are evolutionarily linked to slow growth and low production to biomass ratio (typically 1–7 a−1). Cyclopoids are characterized by more rapid growth and higher production to biomass ratio (typically 3–13 a−1). Due to their active mode of life, they are preyed upon by fish and other predators, which results in high mortality and a short adult life span. Harpacticoid numbers and biomass may reach 250,000 ind/m2 and 120 mgC/m2. True benthic cyclopoids are usually much less abundant (up to 20,000 ind/m2 and 9 mgC/m2). Thus, although the quantitative importance of freshwater meiofauna as a whole may often be comparable to that of macrofauna, the few biomass and production data on benthic copepods suggest that at least harpacticoids have a minor role in the benthic food web of northern lakes.