Copepod community growth rates in relation to body size, temperature, and food availability in the East China Sea: a test of metabolic theory of ecology

摘要: Zooplankton play an essential role in marine food webs, and understanding how community-level growth rates of zooplankton vary the field is critical for predicting ecosystem function may face environmental changes. Here, we used artificial cohort method to examine effects temperature, body size, chlorophyll concentration (a proxy food) on weight-specific copepod communities East China Sea. Specifically, tested hypothesis that community can be described by metabolic theory ecology (MTE), linking spatio-temporal variation rate with temperature their size. Our results generally agree predictions made MTE demonstrate our study area are positively related negatively However, regression coefficients size do not approach theoretical predictions. Furthermore, find deviation from partly attributed effect availability (which explicitly accounted MTE). In addition, significant difference exists among taxonomic groups. suggest considering limitation taxonomy necessary better understand under situ conditions, such MTE-based need further investigation.