CONCLUSION
Our work provides insight on the grazer–prey relationship between Acartia tonsa nauplii and the harmful brown tide alga, A. anophagefferens. Nauplii exhibit a selective preference for the larger food item, I. galbana, when it was presented in mixtures with A. anophagefferens cells. However, when A. anophagefferens strain CCMP 1708 was the only available food, Acortia tonsa nauplii exhibited ingestion rates equal to or higher (though non-significant) than ingestion rates on I. galbana alone. Thus, these nauplii are more likely to play a role in bloom demise than to act as a control during initial bloom proliferation. The potential for copepod nauplii to place grazing pressure on A. anophagefferens during blooms, when cell densities are high, may be affected by cellular toxicity of the particular strain in nature. Differences in the ability of nauplii to successfully graze on A. anophagefferens were seen when different strains were used; as grazing was not detected using CCMP 1850 as the only food source. Both strains resulted in reduced development, supporting the idea that this alga is a poor food type for copepod nauplii.