Ciliate abundance in waters of the Argentine shelf and the Drake Passage, the south-western Atlantic ...

• Main Authors: Santoferrara, Luciana F, Alder, Viviana A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2009
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Drake Passage; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.834722; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.834722

Ciliates from sub-surface waters of the Argentine shelf and the Drake Passage under austral summer and autumn conditions were examined and compared for the first time. In both environments, the taxonomic structure of ciliates was related to temperature and salinity, and aloricate oligotrichs dominated in density (80%) over loricate oligotrichs, litostomatids and prostomatids, while the microplanktonic fraction prevailed in terms of biomass (90%) over the nanociliates. Myrionecta rubra was found all along the Argentine shelf only in autumn, but showed isolated peaks of abundance (10**3 ind./L) during summer. Mean values of density and biomass of total ciliates decreased ca. 2-fold from the shelf-slope to oceanic waters, while potential maximum production of aloricate oligotrichs decreased 9-fold, in relation with the drop in chlorophyll a concentration and the latitudinal decline of temperature, also reflected in maximum growth rates. Fifty percent of total ciliate abundance was represented by local increases ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...