title: Diapausing fertilized adults : A new pattern of copepod life cycle.
abstract: A lake population of the cyclopoid copepod Cyclops strenuus Fischer had a 1-year life cycle including a diapause from June to January. Dormant stages consisted of fertilized females, not previously described as a diapause stage, and a small fraction of cop V. The longevity of the sperm in a diapausing female was at least 6-7 months. Pre-fertilization is assumed to be an adaptive mechanism to assure fertilization when male abundance is low. This life cycle pattern also gives a shorter time-lag between diapause break and offspring development, and also the low total adult population exerts a lower predation pressure on their offspring. The flexibility of life cycle patterns of copepods is emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1050, N-0316, Oslo 3, Norway.
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Næss
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1050, N-0316, Oslo 3, Norway.
authors.forename: Jens Petter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nilssen
keywords: Cyclopoid copepods; Diapause; Prefertilized females; Time-lag