2.2 | Total RNA extraction
Total RNA was extracted using TriPure Isolation reagent (Roche, Base, Switzerland) in conjunction with the PureLinkRNA Mini Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Carlsbad, CA, USA). In the laboratory, frozen zooplankton samples homogenized with TriPure were slowly thawed on ice. During the phase separation, chloroform added to each sample was adjusted proportionally based on the TriPure used in the homogenization. For each sample, 600 µl colourless upper aqueous phase was collected carefully from the homogenate and used for the elution procedure. A total volume of 200 µl of RNase-Free water was used for the final elution. The integrity of the extracted RNA was assessed using a Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technology, CA, USA). High integrity RIN (RNA Integrity Number) indexes were observed for all the samples used in this study (Table S1), except for one sample (sample ID: N3NW0 F1).