Protist enumerations from lakes and fiords along the northern coastline of Ellesmere Island (Ward Hunt Island observatory)

• Main Authors: Vincent, Warwick, Charvet, Sophie, Veillette, Julie
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2012
• Subjects: Abundance; Diversity; Ellesmere Island; Lake A; Phytoplankton; Protists; Taxonomy; Water column; ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada; International Polar Year-Microbial Biodiversity of High Arctic Ecosystems; Arctic; Canada; Ward Hunt Island; Milne Fiord; Island Lake; Hunt Island; ArcticNet; International Polar Year
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5443/10927; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/?doi_id=10927

Protist samples were taken using a 6.2 L Kemmerer sampler, transferred to acid-washed, opaque 20 L plastic containers and stored in the dark at 4°C until processing. They were preserved with paraformaldehyde (0.1% final concentration) and glutaraldehyde (1% final concentration) in duplicate 50 mL polypropylene centrifuge tubes and stored at 4°C for up to 6 months in the dark until analysis; cellular features were well preserved and showed no evidence of degradation during storage. Protists were counted and identified using a combined system of fluorescence, Nomarski interference and Utermöhl sedimentation (FNU). 60 mL samples (16 mL for Lake A at 5 m on 24 August 2008, Lake B at 2 m on 24 August 2008 and Milne Fiord at 5 m on 13 July 2007) were concentrated in Utermöhl sedimentation chambers for 24 hours and stained with DAPI (0.1 mg/mL). Counts and identifications were made with a Zeiss Axiovert 100 inverted epifluorescence microscope under 400 and 1000X magnification (cells > 2 um in diameter). Cells were identified to genus wherever possible and were classified as heterotrophic when no chloroplast was observed. The microscopy detection limit was 2.67 x 10^3 cells/L. A minimum of 400 cells and 15 fields were counted wherever possible. : Purpose: This dataset present phytoplankton and other protist enumerations of Lake A, Lake B, Lake C1, Lake C2, Ward Hunt Lake and Milne Fiord at several depths in 2007 and 2008. The objective of this data was to evaluate the abundance and community composition of the phytoplankton by microscopy. This dataset is also useful to assess the implications for ecosystem structure and function of the increasingly observed loss of perennial lake ice. : Summary: Not Applicable