The transition from nauplii to copepodites: susceptibility of developing copepods to fish predators

Escape success of copepod nauplii (N5-6) of the copepod Acartia tonsa was significantly lower than that of copepodites (C1-2) when exposed to a coral reef fish Acanthemblemaria paula, but no difference was observed when exposed to the sea-horse Hippocampus zosterae. The addition of low level turbulence inhibited feeding by the seahorse but did not affect overall capture success in A. paula, although a shift in predator behavior occurred. This study highlights the importance of considering predatory mode and behavior in the context of planktonic predator-prey dynamics.