Micro-habitats and Associations
Copepods play an integral role in food webs as a link between trophic levels and by their interactions with other grazers. Since turbinata are often the most abundant zooplankton species within communities in many areas, they are very important in this role. Turbinata feed on a range of phytoplanktonic forms, as well as some larval planktonic stages of other organisms. They have also been found to rapidly feed on other zooplankton of similar size which are in direct niche competition with them, by active capture or filtering of smaller ciliates. Thus, turbinata plays two roles both as a grazer of primary producers and as a predator on other grazers. |