Copepods: Unheralded Upholders of the Aquatic Food Chain

Different species of copepods. The darkfield method was used along with polarization to capture this photo. Source: Wikipedia

Copepods are a group of zooplanktonic crustaceans encompassing an estimated 20,000 species worldwide. This is mainly due to their versatility as a life form — copepods have adapted to survive in a diverse array of habitats, ranging in salinity and temperature. Copepods have been found living in both saltwater and freshwater, arctic lakes, moist soil, swamps, and deep below the ocean’s surface…