Comment: On phytoplankton perception by calanoid copepods

Abstract

Three publications recently reported that calanoid copepods, feeding on phytoplankton cells by using a feeding current, perceived such cells by mechanoperception. There was no evidence of remote chemically-mediated perception of those cells. These observations differ from earlier findings that feeding-current producing calanoids are able to detect phytoplankton cells by chemoperception at a distance from their particle-collecting setae of their cephalic appendages. The results on mechanoperception and the earlier published data on chemoperception will be presented and discussed. In addition, the concentration of chemicals within the phycosphere of food cells will be re-examined. We conclude that chemoperception of phytoplankton cells by calanoid copepods in a feeding current is feasible.