Feeding strategies of planktonic cyclopoids in lacustrine ecosystems

Present knowledge of feeding tactics and behaviour, food composition and consumption, and feeding strategies of planktonic cyclopoid copepods is synthesized. Planktonic freshwater cyclopoids consume both plant and animal food. Predatory feeding is highly selective: prey species differ in their size, defense structures, the distance at which they are recognized by the cyclopoid, defensive behaviour when attacked, and their occurrence in the same space as the predator. Within a prey species, cyclopoids select for smaller individuals. The impact of cyclopoid predation on the other zooplankton may be an important source of mortality. However, algal material is consumed to a large extent by the adult and later developmental stages and is a necessary food source for the youngest stages, which have to compete with other planktonic herbivores. Some implications of these food requirements for life strategies of planktonic cyclopoid species in the seasonally changing environments are discussed.