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 seahorse 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.