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<p>Phytoplankton vary both in their chemical compositions and distributions within marine environments. While zooplankton are known from lab settings to selectively eat chemically high-quality phytoplankton, it is highly challenging to directly observe these micro-interactions in nature. Here we develop a model to examine these interactions, testing whether copepods can effectively target high-quality prey. We used experimental data to parameterize a two-dimensional individual based model and simulated copepod movement through a prey field of uniform quantity, but variable quality. Copepods either displayed variable frequencies of behaviors depending on prey quality (‘variable-behavior copepods’), or displayed the same frequency of behaviors, regardless of prey quality (‘fixed-behavior copepods’). We examined: (1) the copepods’ responses to the availability of high-quality, nitrogen-replete (HQ) food, (2) the copepods’ responses to patch fragmentation, (3) the role of behavior in locating HQ food, and (4) how these factors combined to influence nitrogen ingestion throughout the day. Variable- and fixed-behavior copepods located HQ patches at the same speed, but variable-behavior copepods resided in HQ patches up to 1.8 times longer. Variable-behavior copepods ingested more nitrogen than fixed-behavior copepods. Based on our IBM, we suggest copepods can selectively utilize small patches of HQ food in the wild, and likely do so rapidly (&lt;15&#xa0;min). Future work should continue to model behavioral responses to prey quality to explore the link between ecological stoichiometry and behavioral ecology, and observed plankton distributions.</p>

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Copepod foraging model finds efficient selection of small, high-quality prey patches using behavioral observations in Acartia tonsa

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月15日

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  • Emily M. Herstoff,
  • Mihir Umarani,
  • Maarten Boersma,
  • Cédric L. Meunier,
  • Stephen B. Baines

摘要

Phytoplankton vary both in their chemical compositions and distributions within marine environments. While zooplankton are known from lab settings to selectively eat chemically high-quality phytoplankton, it is highly challenging to directly observe these micro-interactions in nature. Here we develop a model to examine these interactions, testing whether copepods can effectively target high-quality prey. We used experimental data to parameterize a two-dimensional individual based model and simulated copepod movement through a prey field of uniform quantity, but variable quality. Copepods either displayed variable frequencies of behaviors depending on prey quality (‘variable-behavior copepods’), or displayed the same frequency of behaviors, regardless of prey quality (‘fixed-behavior copepods’). We examined: (1) the copepods’ responses to the availability of high-quality, nitrogen-replete (HQ) food, (2) the copepods’ responses to patch fragmentation, (3) the role of behavior in locating HQ food, and (4) how these factors combined to influence nitrogen ingestion throughout the day. Variable- and fixed-behavior copepods located HQ patches at the same speed, but variable-behavior copepods resided in HQ patches up to 1.8 times longer. Variable-behavior copepods ingested more nitrogen than fixed-behavior copepods. Based on our IBM, we suggest copepods can selectively utilize small patches of HQ food in the wild, and likely do so rapidly (<15 min). Future work should continue to model behavioral responses to prey quality to explore the link between ecological stoichiometry and behavioral ecology, and observed plankton distributions.