Integrating modeling and in situ imagery at the individual level to reveal the phenotypic plasticity of Arctic copepod communities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24233032 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lucie Bourreau (0000-0002-7304-6929, 1Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada), Neil Banas (3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK), Patrick Pata (1Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada), Sakina-Dorothée Ayata (4Sorbonne Université, CNRS, MNHN, IRD, Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentation et Approches Numériques, LOCEAN-IPSL, Paris, France), Cyril Aubry (0000-0002-4947-3963, 1Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada), Frédéric Maps (0000-0001-7115-2464, 1Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Elementa Science of the Anthropocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2325-1026 • E-ISSN: 2325-1026 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1525/elementa.2025.00093 |
| OpenAlex | W7221535089 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 85 |
Copepods are crustaceans that dominate the zooplankton of Arctic marine ecosystems in terms of abundance and biomass. In subpolar to polar oceans, copepods of the genus Calanus have evolved an overwintering strategy with a duration governed mainly by the lipid reserves accumulated during the short productive season. These copepods spend winter several hundred meters below the surface and can even initiate reproduction ahead of favorable spring conditions. The details of this behavior vary between species but also at the individual level, as these life-history strategies remain flexible and respond dynamically to environmental variability. Here, we develop an approach combining in situ imaging observations from northern Baffin Bay with an individual trait-based model of copepods to identify the mechanisms linking interindividual variability in functional traits to life-history strategies emerging in different environments. Two lipid-related functional traits estimated from images were used in a calibration procedure of the model. The life-history strategies that emerged from different simulated feeding regimes revealed the importance of phenotypic plasticity in a dynamic environment. This study demonstrates that combining individual trait observations with individual-based modeling can improve our understanding of the life-history strategies of key copepod communities and our ability to project important zooplankton community responses to accelerating climate change impacts in the Arctic.
agent-based modeling · Arctic copepods · Baffin Bay · Calanus · Climate change · feeding regime · functional traits · in situ imaging · life history strategies · lipid reserves · overwintering strategy · Phenotypic plasticity · Zooplankton · Marine and coastal ecosystems · Marine and fisheries research · Marine Biology and Ecology Research
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| Highly cited | No |
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