Journal of Plankton Research, Vol 21, 2009-2018, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
L Nuzzo and M Montresor
Scrippsiella rotunda and Scrippsiella
trochoidea var. aciculifera (order
Peridiniales, subfamily Calciodinelloideae) are autotrophic
orthoperidinioid dinoflagellates producing calcareous resting cysts which
are at times abundant in coastal marine sediments. We have carried out
laboratory experiments to investigate features of cyst germination in the
two species, including dormancy length, germination pattern and germination
success, over an annual cycle and under different light and temperature
conditions. The maturation period for S. rotunda cysts
was between 17 and 24 weeks, while that of S.
trochoidea var. aciculifera was much
shorter, ranging between 2 and 5 weeks. Both species required exposure to
light for germination, while temperature shifts (from 14 to 20
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Different excystment patterns in two calcareous cyst-producing species of the dinoflagellate genus Scrippsiella
Stazione Zoologica 'A. Dohrn', Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
C) in the dark did not induce excystment of mature
cysts. In both species, germination was not synchronous, but distributed
over a variable time interval, suggesting a high physiological diversity
within the cyst pool. Moreover, exposure to light of S.
rotunda cysts that had not completed maturation impaired the
germination of a great percentage of the cysts. Differences in dormancy
length may partially explain the distinct cyst production patterns observed
for the two species in the Gulf of Naples.
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