Seasonal mortality rates of Oithona similis (Cyclopoida) in a large Arctic fjord

Instantaneous mortality rates of the common planktonic copepod Oithona similis were investigated for the first time in Kola Bay, a region of the Barents Sea that is influenced by freshwater discharge. The rates were estimated in different seasons (December, May, September 2005 and July 2006). A vertical life table approach (VLT) was used to assess mortality. The total abundance of O. similis (copepodites IV and V, and adults) was highest in autumn and lowest in winter. The maximum mortality of O. similis for the stage pair copepodite IV–copepodite V (0.005 ± 0.001 day−1) occurred in December 2005, while the highest mortality rates for the pairs copepodite VM–adult male (0.453 ± 0.026 day−1) and copepodite VF–adult female (0.228 ± 0.006 day−1) occurred in summer 2006. Simple regression analyses showed that the total abundance of each stage and the mortality rates were positively significantly correlated with water temperature. The mortality rates for the stage pairs copepodite VM–adult male and copepodite VF–adult female were positively significantly correlated with chlorophyll a concentration. The abundance and mortality rate of O. similis in each season was determined by life cycle factors, and possibly by the dynamics of its food resources and potential predators.