Copepods swim either continuously by vibrating their feeding appendages or erratically by repeatedly beating their swimming legs, resulting in a series of small jumps. The two swimming modes generate different hydrodynamic disturbances and therefore expose the swimmers differently to rheotactic predators.
Is a copepod a predator?
Most copepod species, at least in their later developmental stages, are efficient predators. They exhibit various hunting and feeding techniques, which enable them to prey on a wide range of planktonic animals from protozoans to small cladocerans. The rotifers are often the most preferred prey.
How does the planktonic copepod attack?
Copepods that are ambush feeding invariably perceive prey by hydromechanical cues. ... This may elicit an attack: the copepod accelerates toward the prey and captures it (Kiørboe et al. 2009). The attack jump is very fast; the copepod accelerates to a speed of greater than 100 body-lengths s−1 within a few milliseconds.
