Effects of temperature on the feeding and growth of the larvae of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi

• Carbon-specific prey clearance and ingestion rates of 1.5-mm tentaculate larvae of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi increased linearly between 6 and 25 degrees C but declined between 25 and 30 degrees C. Both absolute (length) and carbon-specific growth rate increased linearly with increasing temperature. The latter was 0.87 d(-1) at 25 degrees C. Extremely low or negative growth rates observed at 6 and 30 degrees C help define the thermal limits to population growth of this successful biological invader.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Mnemiopsis leidyi

invasive species

tentaculate larvae

ecophysiology

bioenergetics

North Sea

a. agassiz

dynamics

lobata

food

sea

respiration

waters

rates

Marine & Freshwater Biology

Oceanography

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)