Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Study Shows How Copepods Can Change the Size Spectrum of Oil Droplets
Scientists conducted laboratory experiments to investigate if copepod behavior can reshape the size frequency distribution of oil droplets. They observed that copepods directly changed it through the combined movement of their feeding and swimming appendages and by ingesting oil droplets and discharging undigested, smaller-sized oil drops. The animals’ actions created feeding currents (high-shear environments) that affected the population of droplets, splitting droplets with a 16 μm diameter into smaller ones of 4-8 μm diameter. As copepod numbers increased, there were greater shifts from 16 μm droplets to droplets ranging 4-8 μm. The generation of smaller droplets can increase oil bioavailability to smaller organisms, which may increase transfer of oil compounds between trophic levels. The results suggest that copepods are part of biologically-driven microscale processes that can modify the fate of an oil spill. The researchers published their findings in Scientific Reports: Copepod manipulation of oil droplet size distribution.
Photo Caption: Artist and study author Miquel Alcaraz created this image of the copepod AlcarazAcartia grani featured in this study.
Image provided by Miquel Alcaraz.
Read More: gulfresearchinitiative.org/study-shows-how-copepods-can-c...
Study Shows How Copepods Can Change the Size Spectrum of Oil Droplets
Scientists conducted laboratory experiments to investigate if copepod behavior can reshape the size frequency distribution of oil droplets. They observed that copepods directly changed it through the combined movement of their feeding and swimming appendages and by ingesting oil droplets and discharging undigested, smaller-sized oil drops. The animals’ actions created feeding currents (high-shear environments) that affected the population of droplets, splitting droplets with a 16 μm diameter into smaller ones of 4-8 μm diameter. As copepod numbers increased, there were greater shifts from 16 μm droplets to droplets ranging 4-8 μm. The generation of smaller droplets can increase oil bioavailability to smaller organisms, which may increase transfer of oil compounds between trophic levels. The results suggest that copepods are part of biologically-driven microscale processes that can modify the fate of an oil spill. The researchers published their findings in Scientific Reports: Copepod manipulation of oil droplet size distribution.
Photo Caption: Artist and study author Miquel Alcaraz created this image of the copepod AlcarazAcartia grani featured in this study.
Image provided by Miquel Alcaraz.
Read More: gulfresearchinitiative.org/study-shows-how-copepods-can-c...