Overwintering populations of Mesodinium rubrum (Ciliophora: Haptorida) in lakes of the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica
The autotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum Lohmann was observed during winter and spring in saline lakes ranging in salinity from 2 to 78& in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. The ciliate remained active during winter, and contained chlorophyll even though the level of light available for photosynt...
Published in: | Polar Biology |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
1997
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://eprints.utas.edu.au/787/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/787/1/Mesodinium.pdf https://doi.org/10.1007/s003000050119 |
Summary: | The autotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum Lohmann was observed during winter and spring in saline lakes ranging in salinity from 2 to 78& in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. The ciliate remained active during winter, and contained chlorophyll even though the level of light available for photosynthesis was minimal. No evidence of encystment as a means of survival during winter was observed. A seasonal study in one of the lakes, Ace Lake, revealed that M. rubrum was present throughout the year at abundances ranging from 1]104 to 3.5]105 cells l~1. During the winter period, when little light penetrated the lakeÕs ice cover, cells were most common immediately under the ice at 2 m, where cell numbers were typically 8]104 cells l~1. |
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