Ecology of Pseudodiaptomus annandalei in tropical aquaculture ponds with emphasis on the limitation of production

ABSTRACT The calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei is used as live feed in aquaculture because of its nutritional value and the ability to cope with environmental fluctuations in outdoor ponds. However, little knowledge exists on its ecology. Here we investigated the ecology of P. annandalei in an aquaculture pond in Vietnam. Temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a and biomass of protozoans and copepods were monitored every other day for 1 month. Experiments on protozoan growth and grazing by P. annandalei were also conducted. Copepod fecal pellet production and temperature-dependent egg hatching rates were likewise quantified. Despite very high phytoplankton biomass, biomass of P. annandalei was surprisingly low. Copepod production was estimated from three independent methods: clearance, weight-specific egg production rate (SEP) and specific fecal pellet production rate. SEP proved to be accurate to predict the in situ population growth in the pond. A simple model for production of P. annandalei based on SEP was developed. Our study extends our knowledge of how environmental conditions in the pond may affect the population dynamics and production of copepods. The results have important implications for pond managements ensuring stable copepod production and harvest.