Average global sea surface temperature is undeniably on the rise. The temperatures of the last three decades have been warmer than at any time since records began in circa 1880.

Further global ocean changes such as furthered temperture raise and falling pH are inevitable, and threaten drastic changes in coastal ecosystems. The impact of such changes is predicated to vary from species to species depending on their individual potential to adapt.

Global distribution of species and alterations in life-history traits are well known temperature-driven responses to ocean change.

My main motivation for working with these species was the amount of relevant life-history data I was able to collect for them. Jens Boyen, my supervisor, has been working with P. littoralis throughout his PhD (Boyen et al., 2020), so not only was collecting this data useful for him, but it also meant he has already recorded some life-history traits.

How did I select which life-history traits to collect?

I refered to past studies that have created DEB models, including literature that has modelled Nitocra spinipes (Koch et al., 2019), another harpacticoid copepod. More details on how I obtained these data can be found in a final review I wrote on my professional practice.