| dc.description |
AbstractCAPAS (Computer-assisted Plankton Analysis System), an application software developed for Macintosh computers, was designed for the analysis of taxonomic and size composition of zooplankton. We based CAPAS on the zooplankton analysis system of Mills and Confer (1986), but instead of using electronic calipers, CAPAS requires a digitizing surface for making one-dimensional plankter measurements. Advantages of CAPAS over Mills and Confer's system (1986) include (1) freedom from caliper-associated mechanical error; (2) increased flexibility regarding sample magnification changes, taxonomic lists, measurable size ranges, precision level, and output format; and (3) increased file editing abilities. Moreover, prey taxon- and size-dependent selectivities (Manly-Chesson preference index α and Strauss's linear index L ) of planktivorous predators can be calculated using plankton samples from an “environment” (e.g., lake, pond, tank) in which a predator was feeding and samples from either the predator's stomach or from the “environment” after the predator had been feeding. Though designed primarily for the analysis of zooplankton, CAPAS can be useful in a variety of other analyses in which taxonomic or size composition is needed (e.g., phytoplankton enumeration, measurement and enumeration of morphological characteristics of zooplankton such as leg spines and setules, antennae segments, etc.). |
