T. Kiørboe. (2013). Zooplankton body composition. Limnol. Oceanogr., 58(5), 1843-1850
The chemical body composition is an important organismal trait. This paper examines the variation in zooplankton body composition, from protozoans to gelatinous plankton. Zooplankton segregate into gelatinous and non-gelatinous forms, with surprisingly few intermediate forms. It is argued that the dichotomy in body composition is related to differences in feeding mechanisms and predator avoidance strategies that favor either a watery or a condensed body form, and that in the intermediate taxa the moderately elevated water content is related to buoyancy control and ambush feeding.
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