The ecoSCOPE and dynIMAGE: microscale tools for in situ studies of predator-prey interactions
Kils, U. (1992). The ecoSCOPE and dynIMAGE: microscale tools for in situ studies of predator-prey interactions. Ergeb. Limnol. 36: 83-96
In: Ergebnisse der Limnologie = Advances in Limnology (1964). Schweizerbart: Stuttgart. ISSN 0071-1128, meer
|  |
| Abstract |
he behavior and microdistribution of planktivorous juvenile herring, Clupea harengus , and the copepopd Acartia discaudata have been investigated in Kiel Fjord. Two tools have been developed for in situ measurements at high magnifications in real-time, the "ecoSCOPE", an imaging system allowing for an approach close enough to view the evasive predators as well as their prey via an endoscope, and the "dynIMAGE" program, image processing software allowing for compensation of system-swaying caused by microturbulences. The dynamic processes inside a zooplankton microlayer are analyzed at the mm-scale to investigate how small-scale physics affect feeding success. At microscales the maximum organism-concentrations were several orders of magnitude higher than those derived from conventional samples. Juvenile herring (mean length 38 mm) grazed down the copepod patches (up to 850 individuals per liter) within minutes, attacking each copepod individually. |
|
