Deep-sea heterotrophic nanoflagellates of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: qualitative and quantitative aspects of their pelagic and benthic occurrence
نویسندگان
چکیده
Due to the significant lack of information on the community structure of deep-sea nanoflagellates and other nanofauna components as a potentially important component of deepsea matter fluxes, the aim of the present study was to check whether there is a specific deep-sea nanofauna (<20 μm) community. Studies were carried out in the deep oligotrophic basins of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea around Greece (1249 to 4260 m depth). Direct microscopic counts and quantitative cultivation techniques were used to estimate the abundance and community structure of heterotrophic flagellates and amoebae from abyssopelagial samples and deep-sea sediments. Euglenids and bodonids were the dominant groups comprising about 2/3 of the abundance and biomass of flagellate nanofauna. Our direct counts clearly demonstrate that attention also has to be paid to species which seldom appear in crude cultures. The records of hemimastigid-like forms were remarkable in this respect. Among the 35 deep-sea nanofauna taxa identified here, 8 never appeared in cultures and 18 taxa were found only in cultures. At least 9 taxa have not been previously recorded from the deep sea. Meteora sporadica seems to be the first record of an endemic deep-sea heterotrophic nanoprotist. The variety of functional groups recorded indicates the nanofauna as part of a complex microbial food web in the deep sea. Estimates of potential maximum growth rates of fresh isolates from deep-sea waters ranged from 1 to 6.3 d–1 (Ancyromonas, Amastigomonas, Bodo, Caecitellus, Cafeteria, Kiitoksia, Massisteria, Percolomonas). There was considerable clonal variability.
منابع مشابه
Viral density and virus-to-bacterium ratio in deep-sea sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Viruses are now recognized as a key component in pelagic systems, but their role in marine sediment has yet to be assessed. In this study bacterial and viral densities were determined at nine deep-sea stations selected from three main sites (i.e., the Sporades Basin, the Cretan Sea, and the Ierapetra Trench at depths of 1,232, 1,840, and 4,235 m, respectively) of the Eastern Mediterranean. The ...
متن کاملSome properties reproductive of the speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros Fabricius, 1798) in the North-eastern Mediterranean
Speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros), is a commercially important prawn in the embayments and estuaries of the Mediterranean Sea. It is originally a Lessepsian species which had migrated from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. This study was carried out in the North-eastern Mediterranean Sea between November 2009 and October 2010 with monthly sampling of speckled ...
متن کاملSome properties reproductive of the speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros Fabricius, 1798) in the North-eastern Mediterranean
Speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros), is a commercially important prawn in the embayments and estuaries of the Mediterranean Sea. It is originally a Lessepsian species which had migrated from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. This study was carried out in the North-eastern Mediterranean Sea between November 2009 and October 2010 with monthly sampling of speckled ...
متن کاملThe impact assessment of cage aquaculture on benthic communities along the south eastern Black Sea
The present study was conducted to examine the impact of cage aquaculture on benthic communities in coastal areas (depth 25 to 50 m) from fish farming operations located along the southeastern Black Sea (Ordu-Perşembe, Trabzon-Yomra and Rize central). Sampling was conducted seasonally from April 2007 to 2009. Sediment samples were taken using Ekman Grab (box core- 0.04 m2). Temperature, salinit...
متن کاملDeep-Sea Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable
Deep-sea ecosystems represent the largest biome of the global biosphere, but knowledge of their biodiversity is still scant. The Mediterranean basin has been proposed as a hot spot of terrestrial and coastal marine biodiversity but has been supposed to be impoverished of deep-sea species richness. We summarized all available information on benthic biodiversity (Prokaryotes, Foraminifera, Meiofa...
متن کامل