Copepods are the most abundant metazoans on Earth. They are the linchpin between primary producers and higher trophic levels, and play a key role in biogeochemical processes. Copepods can be used for a wide spectrum of applications, including as live food for fish larvae of commercial interest as well as target species in ecotoxicological studies.
The internship will focus on the establishment and maintenance of a multi-generation copepod culture under laboratory conditions, using the inhouse facilities at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples, Italy). The applicants will be involved in all stages of culture establishment, from sampling to daily maintenance. Laboratory activites will include the preparation of the algal medium, the maintenance of phytoplankton cultures to feed the copepods, and the training to sort individuals of the different developmental stages to assess mortality and development rates. The cultured specimens will then be used by the applicant to setup an experimental procedure focusing on copepod biology and physiology. The internship will then be complemented with office work dedicated to the analysis of the data collected. This will provide the applicant an overall training on the different laboratory and data analysis activities connected to copepod culturing.
