Revista de biología marina y oceanografía

Prediction Models of Copepods Biomass from the Mass-Length and Carbon Content-Length Relationship

Hern?ndez-Trujillo S, Esqueda-Esc?rcega GM and Futema-Jimenez S

Prediction Models of Copepods Biomass from the Mass-Length and Carbon Content-Length Relationship

Adult calanoid copepods of six species were collected in the Ensenada de La Paz in autumn 2010. Prosome length, dry mass and carbon content were measured to determine the mass-length relationship and the condition factor. Acartia clause, A. lilljeborgii, Temora discaudata and Undinula vulgaris were the species with high determination coefficients (p <0.05) compared to Centropages furcatus and L. johnsoni (p> .05). The condition factor of the species is the first reference for subtropical copepods in the study area. Depending on the species, organic carbon fluctuated between 20 and 47% of the dry mass and only for A. clause was the premise of 45% carbon dry mass satisfied.