Automated identification of Calanus to species level at any developmental stage

Identification of Calanus individuals to species level is problematic and normally impossible with early developmental stages (nauplii and early copepodites). This programme will develop an automated system for identification based on a modified method of Lindeque et al. (1999). The system requires a robotic workstation with integral thermal cycler, and will provide underpinning identification (>20 000 individuals) for the Broad Scale Survey project (Heath et al.) and for the Hirst et al. project.