Clutch detachment in a copepod after capture by a predator

Abstract

When the egg-carrying copepod, Eudiaptomus gracilis, is captured by larvae of predatory Chaoborus species (Cobscuripes or C. flavicans) in laboratory experiments, the external egg clutch detaches in 16-29% of cases, thereby allowing the eggs to escape from ingestion. Clutch detachment may be due to active removal by the female before she is eaten or the result of accidental loss by the predator during handling. Detached clutches were significantly larger than those that were ingested along with the female. Clutch detachment is advantageous to the female since ingested eggs are lost, whereas detached eggs hatch normally and may potentially propagate the genotype. Chaoborus predation may therefore influence the evolution of clutch size and the degree of iteroparity in Eudiaptomus.