9632840 BUCKLIN Sequence-specific gene amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will be used to identify and discriminate individuals of two calanoid copepod species Pseudocalanus moultoni and P. newmani, at all stages. Temporal and spatial distribution of larval, juvenile, and adult female stages of both species will be determined from zooplankton samples during the broad-scale surveys of U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic Field Studes Phase 2 on Georges Bank. Spatial patterns of distribution will be characterized monthly to determine how stage-specific distributions interact with circulation patterns on the Bank. Image analysis will provide size estimates for individuals of each stage to ascertain whether rates of growth and development differ between species. Collaborative work with bio-physical modellers will be conducted to place the stage-structured populations of each species in realistic flow fields. It is hypothesized that the life histories of the Pseudocalanus spp. on Georges Bank differ in ways that are suited to the geographic distribution and reproductive ecology of the species. ***
