Existence and significance of Acartia grani resting eggs (Copepoda: Calanoida) in sediments of a coastal station in the Alboran Sea (SE Spain)

Abstract

The seasonal abundance of copepod eggs in bottom sediments of Malaga harbour was documented during an annual cycle between June 1989 and June 1990. The concentration noted ranged from 6.6. x 106 to 0.19 X 106 m-2. The number of adults in the water column and eggs recovered from the bottom sediments fluctuated markedly with season. The highest egg abundance in sediments was found coincidentally with the early population growth season, although the values remained high until the adults disappeared from the water column. During the winter, the number of eggs decreased until the development of the next copepod population. When bottom sediments were incubated in the laboratory, a large number of Acartia nauplii hatched, which showed that eggs laid in the autumn remain viable at the bottom until late spring, thus providing a large pool of potential recruits for the planktonic population.