Abstract:An experiment was carried out to evaluate effects of food concentration on the development, survival, reproduction of a calanoid copepod (Pseudodiaptomus dubia), in which the population life table was formed at different food concentration. The animals were fed with Chaetoceros muelleri as food designated with five food concentrations, 0.5×105, 3×105, 6×105, 12×105 and 17×105 cells/mL, respectively. The results showed that different concentrations of C. muelleri had significant effects on the development, survival and reproduction of P. dubia. When the food concentration was 3×105 – 6×105 cells/mL, the development time, growth rate and hatching rate of P. dubia was 174–192 h, 0.6–0.64 μg C/d, and 464.2–608.2 neonates per female, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the lowest concentration (0.5×105 cells/mL) and the highest concentration (17×105 cells/mL). The survival and lifespan decreased with the increase of food concentration. The survival of P. dubia reached up to 80% when the food concentration ranged from 0.5×105 cells/mL to 6×105 cells/mL, which were significantly higher than that of the 12×105 and 17×105 cells/mL. When the food concentration was 3×105 – 6×105 cells/mL, the intrinsic growth rate of P. dubia was 0.237/d and 28%–32% higher than that of 0.5×105 and 17×105 cells/mL. Therefore, putting too much or too little food would be disadvantageous to the population growth of P. dubia. Therefore, the most favourable food concentration for P. dubia would range from 3×105 to 6×105 cells/mL.