Impacts of a small dam on riverine zooplankton

In order to explore the temporal impacts of a small dam on riverine zooplankton, monthly samples were conducted from November 2005 to June 2006 in a reach of Xiangxi River, China, which is affected by a small hydropower plant. A total of 56 taxa of zooplankton were recorded during the study and rotifers were the most abundant group, accounting for 97% of total taxa, while the others were copepod nauplii and copepod adults. This study indicated that: (1) the small dam in the Xiangxi River study area created distinct physical and ecological conditions relative to free-flowing lotic reaches despite the constrained channel and small size of the dam; (2) the existence of the plant's small dam had a significant effect on the zooplankton community. In long periods of drought or dry seasons the effect of the dam on potamoplankton was more pronounced (e.g., November, February, March, and May). But the downfall or the connectivity of channel appeared to decrease the effect of small hydropower plants on riverine zooplankton (e.g., April). The present observation underscores the need for additional studies that provide more basic data on riverine zooplankton communities and quantify ecological responses to dam construction over longer time spans.

Short-term effects of drawing water for connectivity of rivers and lakes on zooplankton community structure

During 28-29, September 2005, water was drawn from Hanjiang River and Houguan Lake to the Yangzi River via Sanjiao Lake and Nantaizi Lake in Wuhan in order to provide favorable conditions for ecosystem restoration. To evaluate the feasibility and validity of drawing water as a means of ecosystem restoration, zooplankton populations were studied 3 times (before, immediately after finishing and a month after drawing water) at seven locations from 27 Sept. 2005 to 2 Nov. 2005. Water quality in the lakes was mostly improved and zooplankton species richness decreased as soon as drawing water had finished but increased a month after drawing water. Zooplankton density and biomass was reduced in the lakes by drawing water but was increased at the entrance to Sanjiao Lake because of landform geometry change. Before drawing water, most species in Sanjiao Lake e.g., Brachionus sp. and Keratella sp. were tolerant of contamination. After drawing water oligotrophic-prone species such as Lecane ludwigii and Gastropus stylifer emerged. We conclude that drawing water could be important for improving water quality and favour ecosystem restoration. Dilution of nutrient concentrations may be an important role in the effect.

Negative effects of Microcystis blooms on the crustacean plankton in an enclosure experiment in the subtropical China

Effects of Microcystis blooms on the crustacean plankton were studied using enclosure experiments during July-September, 2000. Eight enclosures were set in the hypereutrophic Donghu Lake. Different nutrient concentrations through additional nutrient and sediment in enclosures were expected to result in different abundance of Micropystis. From July to early August, the phytoplankton community was dominated by Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta other than Microcystis aeruginosa. M. aeruginosa showed a rapid increase during early August in all enclosures and predominated. Crustacean plankton was dominated by the herbivorous Moina micrura, Diaphanosoma brachyurum and Ceriodaphnia cornuta, and the predaceous Mesocyclops sp. and Thermocyclops taihokuensis. During the pre-bloom period, the dynamics of M. micrura population appeared to be mainly affected by the predaceous cyclopoids. With the development of Microcystis blooms, such interaction between M. micrura and cyclopoids seemed weakened, especially when the Microcystis biomass was high. But there was no apparent influence on the interaction between Leptodora kindti and its zooplanktonic prey. The density of two cyclopoids decreased with the enhancement of Microcystis. The density decline of M. micrura was caused by both predation and inhibition by Micropystis. The low food availability of other edible phytoplankton during the blooms led to low densities of both C. cornuta and D. brachyurum by late August. It appears that dense Microcystis blooms exert strong negative effects on the herbivorous cladocerans and the predaceous cyclopoids.

Effects of fish stocking on the zooplankton community structure in a shallow lake in China

Changes in the zooplankton community structure in relation to fishery practices in Lake Donghu, Wuhan, China were examined. The number of Protozoa species increased slightly, whereas the number of rotifers and crustaceans decreased from the 1960s to the 1990s. The total annual average densities of zooplankton increased 15-20 times in the 1990s compared with the 1960s. This increase was largely attributed to Protozoa, which contributed 93.4% by number of the total zooplankton density in 1991. Cladoceran densities decreased markedly from 1987. Changes in densities of rotifers and copepods were not evident. Trends in zooplankton biomass were similar to density. Large changes in zooplankton community structure coincided with markedly changes in concentration of chlorophyll a and transparency in Lake Donghu in 1987. The year 1987 seems to be the threshold year when the zooplankton community structure changed considerably. These changes were related to continuously increasing fish stock biomass in the lake. It was suggested that fish stocking and fish biomass should be a better managed for improvement of the quality of the lake's environment.

Studies on the effects of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) on the Phytoplankton in a shallow hypereutrophic lake through an enclosure experiment

The responses of nutrients, water transparency, zooplankton and phytoplankton to a gradient of silver carp biomass were assessed using enclosure methods. The gradient of four silver carp biomass levels was set as follows: 0, 116, 176 and 316 g m(-2). Nutrients did not show any statistically significant differences among the treatments. An Outburst of Daphnia only occurred in fishless enclosures where phytoplankton biomass was the lowest and water clarity significantly increased. While among fish enclosures, the small-sized Moina micrura dominated throughout the experiment and both zooplankton and phytoplankton biomasses decreased with increased fish biomass. No large colonial cyanobacterial blooms occurred in the fishless enclosures as predicted. This might be due to low water temperature. short experiment time and the occurrence of large bodied Daphnia in our experiment. Cryptophyta was the most dominant group in most of the enclosures and the lake water throughout the experiment. The fishless enclosure had much lower proportion of Cyanophyta but higher proportion of Trachelomonas sp.

Changes in the structure of a zooplankton community during a Ceratium (dinoflagellate) bloom in a eutrophic fishless pond

The community structure of zooplankton was studied in a eutrophic, fishless Japanese pond. The ecosystem was dominated by a dinoflagellate, Ceratium hirundinella, two filter-feeding cladocerans, Daphnia rosea and Ceriodaphnia reticulata, and an invertebrate predator, the dipteran Chaoborus flavicans. The midsummer zooplankton community showed a large change in species composition (the Daphnia population crashed) when a heavy Ceratium bloom occurred. It is shown that (i) the rapid density decline of D.rosea in mid-May was mainly caused by a shortage of edible phytoplankton, which was facilitated by the rapid increase in C.hirundinella abundance; (ii) the low density of D.rosea in June-July was considered to be mainly caused by the blooming of Ceratium hirundinella (which may inhibit the feeding process of D.rosea), while predation by C.flavicans larvae, the changing temperature, the interspecific competition and the scarcity of edible algae were not judged to be important; (iii) the high summer biomass of the planktonic C.flavicans larvae was maintained by the bloom of C.hirundinella, because >90% of the crop contents of C.flavicans larvae were C.hirundinella during this period. The present study indicates that the large-sized cells or colonies of phytoplankton are not only inedible by most cladocerans, but the selective effect of the blooming of these algae can also influence the composition and dominance of the zooplankton community, especially for the filter-feeding Cladocera, in a similar way as the selective predation by planktivorous fish. The large-sized phytoplankton can also be an important alternative food for ominivorous invertebrate predators such as Chaoborus larvae, and thus may affect the interactions between these predators and their zooplanktonic prey. In this way, such phytoplankton may play a very important role in regulating the dynamics of the aquatic food web, and become a driving force in shaping the community structure of zooplankton.

Effects of silver carp density on zooplankton and water quality: Implications for eutrophic lakes in China

We examined the responses of zooplankton community, water transparency, chlorophyll a and nutrients to manipulation of density of silver carp (Hypophthyalmichthys molitrix) in an one-way factorial experiment using enclosures placed in Donghu (East Lake, 30 degrees 33' N, 114 degrees 23' E), located in Wuhan, P. R. China. Enclosures (18.75 m(3)) were treated with four silver carp densities, 0, 81, 225, 485 g/m(2). Total zooplankton abundance (excluding nauplii and rotifers except for Asplanchna sp.) and the mean size of dominant cladoceran species were significantly greater in enclosures with 0 and 81 fish densities than those in enclosures with 225 and 485 fish densities. Water transparency also improved significantly when silver carp densities were 0 or 81 g/m(2). We did not find significant effects of silver carp density on chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, or total nitrogen concentrations. We conclude that by reducing planktivorous fish to below the current density (190 g/m(2)), the zooplankton community can be shifted from the dominance of small-bodied Moina sp. to dominance of large-bodied Daphnia sp. Further, the water clarity can be increased.

CONTRIBUTION OF BACTERIOPLANKTON, PHYTOPLANKTON, ZOOPLANKTON AND DETRITUS TO ORGANIC SESTON CARBON LOAD IN A CHANGJIANG FLOODPLAIN LAKE (CHINA)

The relative compositions of bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus of seston were studied during the course of inundation in a floodplain lake of central Changjiang (China). Peaks in bacterial biomass developed shortly after flooding, coinciding with the initial leaching of organic nutrients from vegetation submerged under floodwater, and again at high water, shortly before the climax of phytoplankton biomass. Rods predominated the bacterial carbon biomass. Phytoplankton developed a postflood bloom at initial falling, corresponding to the drainage of the lake water into the river. While minimal biomass occurred during the advent of flooding, most likely due to disturbance and dilution. Algal biomass was usually dominated by Chlorophyta. Highest biomass of zooplankton was recorded at the end of the flooding in connection with the decline in turbidity, and once again at early drainage, closely associated with high phytoplankton biomass. Copepods (mainly nauplii) always constituted the majority of zooplankton carbon biomass. Peaks in detrital carbon concentrations were recorded at rising and falling water phases, corresponding respectively to the riverine discharge and decomposition of macrophyte mats. At rising water phase, CPOC was abundant. While during other water phases, this predominance was shifted to FPOC alone. Taken together, average contribution of bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus to total seston carbon was 3.29, 21.21, 6.83 and 68.67 %, respectively.

The relation between distribution of zooplankton and salinity in the Changjiang Estuary

Seasonal netzplankton samples from stations in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary were collected from May, 2004 to February, 2005. The dominant species and their contribution to the total zooplankton abundance were determined. Moreover, the relationship between the salinity and abundance was studied with stepwise linear regression. During the whole year, the salinity was positively correlated with the abundance, while the temperature, negatively. Linear regression analysis showed also a high positive correlation with salinity for total abundance in August and November, while in February and May, no obvious relations were found. The most abundant community was composed of neritic and brackish-water species. The North Passage (NP) (salinity <5) was greatly diluted by freshwater while the North Branch (NB) was brackish water with salinity range of 12-28. Consequently, clear decline in abundance of zooplankton was along the estuarine haloclines from the maximum in the area of high salinity to the minimum in the limnetic zone. Total zooplankton abundance and biomass were lower in NP than the NB in all seasons. In short, the salinity influenced the abundance of each species of zooplankton, and ultimately determined the total abundance of zooplankton. Furthermore, a winter peak in the abundance existed, which might be caused by the flourishing of Sinocalanus sinensis, a widely distributed species in the Changjiang Estuary.

黄海浮游动物功能群的研究

浮游动物在海洋生态系统物质循环和能量流动中起着至关重要的作用。浮游动物物种组成、生物量和次级生产力的变化会改变生态系统的结构和功能。在黄海生态系统中如何描述这个过程，并使它易于模拟是本论文的研究目的。生物量和生产力是海洋生态系统食物网的基础。谁是浮游动物生物量和次级生产力的基础？哪些种类在生态系统中起关键作用？这些问题在黄海这样的温带陆架边缘海区很难回答，原因是物种组成、生物量和生产力的季节变化显著。因此，在对黄海食物产出的关键过程进行模拟时，需要应用既准确又简便的方法来对浮游动物群落的生态过程进行模拟。在对黄海浮游动物群落结构和物理海洋学特征进行充分的分析之后，浮游动物功能群的方法被确定用来进行黄海生态系统结构和功能的模拟。 根据浮游动物的粒径、摄食习性和营养功能，黄海浮游动物被分为6个功能群：大型浮游甲壳动物功能群（Giant crustacean，GC）、大型桡足类功能群（Large copepods, LC）、小型桡足类功能群（Small copepods，SC）、毛颚类功能群（Chaetognaths）、水母类功能群（Medusae）和海樽类功能群（Salps）。GC、LC和SC是按照粒径大小而划分的功能群，他们是高营养层次的主要食物资源。毛颚类和水母类是两类胶质性的肉食性浮游动物功能群，他们与高营养层次竞争摄食饵料浮游动物；海樽类与其他浮游动物种类竞争摄食浮游植物，而本身的物质和能量却不能有效的传递到高营养层次。本文研究报道了浮游动物各功能群的时空分布、基于浮游动物动能群的黄海生态区划分、饵料浮游动物功能群的生产力、毛颚类对浮游动物的摄食压力以及中华哲水蚤（Calanus sinicus）的摄食生态学。 春季，浮游动物生物量为2.1 g m–2，GC、LC和SC对生物量的贡献率分别为19, 44 和 26%。高生物量的LC和SC功能群主要分布于山东半岛南岸的近岸海域，而GC主要分布在远岸站位。夏季，浮游动物的生物量为3.1 g m–2，GC贡献了73%。GC、LC和SC主要分布在黄海的中部海域。秋季，浮游动物生物量为1.8 g m–2，GC、LC和SC的贡献率相似，分别为36, 33和23%，高生物量的GC和LC分布在黄海中部，而SC主要分布在远岸站位。GC和LC是冬季浮游动物生物量（2.9 g m–2）的优势功能群，分别贡献率了57%和27%，高生物量的GC、LC和SC都分布在黄海的中部海域。与GC、LC和SC相比，毛颚类生物量较低，主要分布于黄海的中北部海域。水母类（本文中指小型水母类）和海樽类斑块分布明显，主要分布于黄海沿岸和北部海域。属于不同功能群的约10个种类为浮游动物的优势种，控制着浮游动物群落的动态。 春季，黄海可以被分成4个浮游动物生态区，浮游动物生物量的分布中心位于山东半岛南岸近岸海域，与第一个生态区相对应，LC和SC在分布中心起主要的控制作用；夏、秋和冬季，黄海分别被分成3、4和3个生态区，浮游动物生物量的分布中心均位于黄海的中部海域，均与各季节的第一个生态区相对应，GC和LC是分布中心生态区的优势功能群，对分布中心起主要的控制作用。黄海冷水团（YSCBW）在GC、LC和SC的空间分布模式中起着重要的作用。黄海不同季节浮游动物生态区的空间分布模式及生态区中起控制作用的优势功能群类别有着重要的生态学意义。 我们将饵料浮游动物功能群细化为0.16–0.25 mm、0.25–0.5 mm、0.5–1 mm、1–2 mm和 >2 mm5个粒径组。应用生物能量学的方法研究了不同粒径浮游动物的生产力。结果表明：浮游动物次级生产力5月份最高，为91.9 mg C m–2 d–1，其次是6月和9月，分别为75.6 mg C m–2 d–1和65.5 mg C m–2 d–1，8月、3月和12月较低，仅为42.3 mg C m–2 d–1、35.9 mg C m–2 d–1和27.9 mg C m–2 d–1。根据这些结果，黄海浮游动物年次级生产力为18.9 g C m–2 year–1。0.16–0.25 mm和 0.25–0.5 mm 两个粒径组对浮游动物次级生产力的贡献率为58–79%，即相对应的SC功能群的周转率（P/B, 0.091–0.193 d–1）要高于GC和LC。 黄海毛颚类功能群的优势种类为强壮箭虫（Sagitta crassa）、纳嘎箭虫（S. nagae）、肥胖箭虫（S. enflata）和百陶箭虫（S. bedoti）。我们对这四种箭虫的生产力和对浮游动物生物量和生产力的摄食压力进行了研究。结果表明：黄海毛颚类总的生物量为98–217 mg m–2，总的生产力为1.22–2.36 mg C m–2 d–1。黄海毛颚类的生物量占浮游动物总生物量的6.35–14.47%，而生产力仅占浮游动物总生产力的2.54–6.04%。强壮箭虫和纳嘎箭虫是黄海毛颚类功能群的绝对优势种，控制着黄海毛颚类群落的动态。黄海毛颚类总的摄食率为4.24–8.18 mg C m–2d–1，对浮游动物现存量和生产力总的摄食压力分别为为0.94%和12.56%。黄海冬季，浮游动物的现存量和生产力为0.4 g C m–2和0.026 g C m–2d–1，而毛颚类的摄食压力却达到了全年的最大值，为1.4%和20.94%。因此，毛颚类的摄食可能对冬季浮游动物群落结构造成重要的影响。通过不同体长组箭虫的摄食率可以推断，黄海毛颚类全年主要摄食小型桡足类，对SC功能群的摄食压力最大。但是在夏季黄海冷水团形成的月份，毛颚类对前体长为2 mm的LC功能群中的种类摄食压力也较大，但此时，由于优势种中华哲水蚤进入滞育阶段，因此毛颚类的摄食会对其种群数量造成严重的影响。 中华哲水蚤在春、秋季的摄食率分别为2.08–11.46和0.26–3.70 µg C female–1 day–1，与微型浮游生物的现存量呈显著的正相关。春季，在黄海的北部，中华哲水蚤通过摄食微型浮游生物吸收的碳量能够满足其代谢和繁殖需求，而在黄海的南部和秋季黄海冷水团锋区附近，中华哲水蚤必须通过摄食其他类型的食物资源来维持其代谢和生殖需求。较低的摄食率、无产卵以及种群中CV期桡足幼体占优势表明，秋季中华哲水蚤在黄海冷水团区域内处于滞育状态。中华哲水蚤优先摄食微型原生动物，并且春季中华哲水蚤总的生长效率（GGE, 3–39%）与食物中微型原生动物的比例呈显著的正相关，表明微型原生动物具有较高的营养价值。但是，因较低的产卵率（0.16–12.6 eggs female–1 day–1）而导致的中华哲水蚤较低的总生长效率（13.4%），可能就是由于其食物中的必需营养成分含量不足（或缺乏）造成的。 本文从生物量的角度，对黄海浮游动物各功能群的时空分布、生态区划分进行了研究报道，对GC、LC和SC功能群的生产力、毛颚类对浮游动物的摄食压力和中华哲水蚤的摄食生态学进行了较为深入的研究，这些结果为黄海食物产出的关键过程的模拟提供了基础资料。今后的研究重点应搞清楚黄海水母类对浮游动物次级生产力的摄食压力和海樽类在食物产出模型中产生的负效应的程度，浮游动物各功能群的组成、季节变化和空间分布模式的长期变化，尤其是在气候变化和人类活动的影响下，将是今后研究的重点。

Diel vertical migration of zooplankton following optimal food intake under predation

A model is developed to investigate the trade-offs between benefits and costs involved in zooplanktonic diel vertical migration (DVM) strategies. The 'venturous revenue' (VR) is used as the criterion for optimal trade-offs. It is a function of environmental factors and the age of zooplankter. During vertical migration, animals are assumed to check instantaneously the variations of environmental parameters and thereby select the optimal behavioral strategy to maximize the value of VR, i.e. taking up as much food as possible with a certain risk of mortality. The model is run on a diel time scale (24 h) in four possible scenarios during the animal's life history. The results show that zooplankton can perform normal DVM balancing optimal food intake against predation risk, with the profile of DVM largely modified by the age of zooplankter.

Summer feeding activities of zooplankton in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

Grazing of dominant zooplankton copepods (Calanoides acutus. and Metridia gerlachei), salps (Salpa thompsoni) and microzooplankton was determined during the austral summer of 1998/1999 at the seasonal ice zone of the Prydz Bay region. The objective was to measure the ingestion rates of zooplankton at the seasonal ice zone, so as to evaluate the importance of different groups of zooplankton in their grazing impact on phytoplankton standing stock and primary production. Grazing by copepods was low, and accounted for less than or equal to 1% of phytoplankton standing stocks and 3.8-12.5% of primary production for both species during this study, even the ingestion rates of individuals were at a high level compared with previous reports. S. thompsoni exhibited a relatively high grazing impact on primary production (72%) in the north of our investigation area. The highest grazing impact on phytoplankton was exerted by microzooplankton during this investigation, and accounted for 10-65% of the standing stock of phytoplankton and 34-100% of potential daily primary production. We concluded that microzooplankton was the dominant phytoplankton consumer in this study area. Salps also played an important role in control of phytoplankton where swarming occurred. The grazing of copepods had a relatively small effect on phytoplankton biomass development.

Summertime ciliate and copepod nauplii distributions and micro-zooplankton herbivorous activity in the Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China

The abundance and biomass of ciliated protozoa and copepod nauplii were investigated at 21 grid stations and two anchored stations in the Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China in June 1998. Dilution incubations were carried out to investigate micro-zooplankton grazing pressure at the anchored stations during spring tide and neap tide. The dominant species were Tintinnopsis amoyensis, T. chinglanensis, T. pallida and aloricate ciliates. A total of 13 species of tintinnids were found. The total abundance of ciliates and nauplii ranged from 30 to 2390 ind l(-1) at grid stations. Tintinnopsis amoyensis was the only ciliate found at the anchored stations and in concentrations which varied from 0 to 6700 ind l(-1). The spatial distribution of ciliates was patchy. Tintinnopsis amoyensis and T. pallida were distributed in the Weihe River mouth and Xiaoqinghe River mouth respectively. The aloricate ciliates, T. chinglanensis and Codonellopsis ostenfeldi dominated offshore in sequence. The water mixing process may affect the spatial pattern of the dominant ciliate species. The abundance and biomass of copepod nauplii were in the range of 0-140 ind l(-1) and 0-7 mu g C l(-1) respectively, with the peak appearing at grid station 15. The total biomass of ciliates and copepod nauplii was in the range of 1(.)5-25 mu g C l(-1). Water column biomass of ciliates and nauplii varied from 2(.)37 to 52(.)3 mg C m(-2). At the anchored stations, the phytoplankton growth rates ranged from undetectable to 0 21 d(-1) and micro-zooplankton grazing rates from 0 13 to 0(.)57 d(-1). The grazing pressure of micro-zooplankton were 12 to 43% of the chlorophyll standing stock and 84 to 267% of the chlorophyll (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Feeding activities of zooplankton in the Bohai Sea

The Bohai Sea was the site of the Chinese national GLOBEC programme. During the June 1997 cruises of R/V Science No.1, observations and experiments on zooplankton feeding were conducted. At five 48 h time-series stations the following observations and measurements on zooplankton were carried out: (1) diurnal vertical migration, by collecting samples at different layers every 3 h with a closing net; (2) diurnal feeding rhythms, by gut pigment analysis; and (3) ingestion rate, by both gut pigment analysis and the dilution method. A classification by body size was used to deal with the diversity of species and developmental stages of zooplankton assemblages. Samples were separated into three size groups: small (200-500 mu m), medium (500-1000 mu m) and large (> 1000 mu m). The results showed that the copepods (Calanus sinicus, Paracalanus parvus, Acartia bifilosa and Centropages mcmurrichi) performed clear diurnal vertical migrations. However, their behaviour was different at different stations. The variation in gut pigment content over the 24 h cycle showed strong diurnal feeding rhythms, particularly for the large size group. Gut pigment contents reached their daily maximum during the time from dusk to midnight (18:00-24:00). The peak value was about 10 times the minimum observed in the daytime. The in situ daily grazing rate, based on gut pigment contents and evacuation experiments, was 4.00-12.65 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the small size group, 5.99-66.58 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the medium size group and 31.31-237.13 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the large size group. The copepods consumed only a small part (2.90-13.52%) of the phytoplankton biomass hut about 77% of the daily production. The grazing mortality rate of phytoplankton by microzooplankton (<200 mu m) measured by the dilution method ranged from 0.43 to 0.69 day(-1) The calculated daily consumption of phytoplankton biomass was 35-50%, and 85-319% of the potential production.

Viewing DVM via general behaviors of zooplankton: A way bridging the success of individual and population

In this paper, we viewed the diel vertical migration (DVM) of copepod in the context of the animal's immediate behaviors of everyday concerns and constructed an instantaneous behavioral criterion effective for DVM and non-DVM behaviors. This criterion employed the function of 'venturous revenue' (VR), which is the product of the food intake and probability of the survival, to evaluate the gains and losses of the behaviors that the copepod could trade-off. The optimal behaviors are to find the optimal habitats to maximize VR. Two types of VRs are formulated and tested by the theoretical analysis and simulations. The sensed VR, monitoring the real-time changes of trade-offs and thereby determining the optimum habitat, is validated to be the effective objective function for the optimization of the behavior; whereas, the realized VR, quantifying the actual profit obtained by an optimal copepod in the sensed-VR-determined habitat, defines the life history of a specific age cohort. The achievement of a robust copepod overwintering stock through integrating the dynamics of the constituent age cohorts subjected to the instantaneous behavioral criterion for DVM clearly exemplified a possible way bridging the immediate pursuit of an individual and the end success of the population. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.