Benthic resting eggs constitute an important phase in the life history of many coastal planktonic copepods. The resumption of development and hatching of resting eggs are of fundamental importance to the perpetuation of many populations year after year in many areas. The relative contribution of resting eggs to recruitment however, is poorly understood largely because we do not clearly understand either the conditions that promote the accumulation of resting eggs on the sea-bottom or their hatching. It is very likely that resuspension of the seabed by storms leads to the resuspension of eggs. Moreover, since continental shelf areas are frequently subject to storms, these could have a major impact on copecod recruitment. This research seeks to determine the bottom stresses that are necessary for eggs to be resuspended, and the conditions (e.g. temperture) that permit the their hatching.
