rich in edible algae.
'The copepods can certainly thrive here, but their evolutionary stronghold - the habitat in which they're at the biggest advantage over other species - is the open ocean, and that's where the diapause gives the most benefits,' Pond says.
This latest paper completes the circle, showing that not only do fat reserves control buoyancy during diapause; they play a crucial role in both starting it and in bringing it to an end.
Pond explains that the unsaturated fats that are crucial for buoyancy control are found mostly in plankton algae known as diatoms, so having these to feed on is crucial for copepods' ability to diapause successfully. He now plans to look at whether similar mechanisms help control the movements of other animal plankton, such as krill.
The paper appears in the journal Limnology and Oceanography.
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Clark KAJ, Brierley AS, Pond DW. Composition of wax esters is linked to diapause behaviour of Calanus finmarchicus in a sea loch environment. Limnology and Oceanography. 57: 65-75.