Morphology and Distribution of the Acanthoecidae (Choanoflagellata) from the Weddell Sea during the Austral Summer, 1977

• Main Author: Buck,Kurt
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1980
• Subjects: Microbiology; Biological Oceanography; *AQUATIC ORGANISMS; *OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; *PROTOZOA; *MORPHOLOGY(BIOLOGY); LABORATORY TESTS; DISTRIBUTION; ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; SAMPLING; OPTICAL SCANNING; TAXONOMY; SUMMER; ECOLOGY; SEA ICE; CELL STRUCTURE; PLANKTON; REPRODUCTION(PHYSIOLOGY); APPENDAGES; MITOCHONDRIA; PROTOPLASM; Choanoflagellates; Habitats; Flagella; Costae; Lorica; Antarctic; Austral; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; ice algae; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA090680; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA090680

Eight species of loricate choanoflagellates (Acanthoecidae), Acanthoecopsis spiculifera, Bicosta spinifera, Bicosta antennigera, Calliacantha simplex, Calliacantha multispina aff., Crinolina aperta, Diaphanoeca multiannulata, and Parvicorbicula socialis, were observed in samples obtained from the Weddell Sea during the austral summers, 1977. D. multiannulata was described for the first time from thse samples; the other organisms have either been described previously or are being described at this time. The distribution of most species within the Weddell Sea was widespread. The distributional, environmental, and morphological range of A. spiculifera, B. spinifera, C. aperta, and P. socialis was expanded. Habitats in which choanoflagellates were found included the water column, the edges of ice floes, ponds on ice floes, and the interiors of ice floes. The presence of choanoflagellates within the ice indicates that there may be a closely coupled trophic relationship with the other two biological components of the ice community, the ice algae and the bacteria. The presence in the ice of seven species with both a caudal appendage and anterior projections suggests a positive relationship between this lorica configuration and the ice habitat. Mechanisms of variance of transverse costal diameters between genera may be useful to the taxonomy and phylogeny of this family. (Author)