JPR Advance Access originally published online on March 7, 2005
Journal of Plankton Research 2005 27(4):303-311; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbi006
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Journal of Plankton Research Vol. 27 No. 4 © Oxford University Press 2005; all rights reserved
HORIZON |
Temporal changes in the ciliate assemblage and consecutive estimates of their grazing effect during the course of a Heterocapsa circularisquama bloom
1 Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, Shinhama, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0001, Japan and 2 National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency, Maruishi, Ohno, Saeki, Hiroshima 739-0452, Japan
* Corresponding Author: kamiyama{at}affrc.go.jp
Received October 16, 2004; accepted in principle January 26, 2005; accepted for publication February 18, 2005; published online March 7, 2005
Temporal changes in ciliate assemblages during the course of a bloom of the harmful microalga Heterocapsa circularisquama (Dinophyceae) were investigated and consecutive estimates of species-specific maximum grazing losses were analyzed from August to September 1998 at a site in western Hiroshima Bay, the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Temporal increases of the H. circularisquama mean concentration in the water column were observed twice (2529 August and 710 September) with the maximum concentration (ca. 4000 cells mL1) being recorded on 25 August. The main ciliate genera during the bloom were Favella, Tontonia, Eutintinnus, Tintinnopsis and Amphorellopsis. Increases of Favella and Tontonia were observed when the concentration of H. circularisquama ranged from 260 to 1170 cells mL1. Total maximum grazing loss estimated from the abundance and ingestion rate of each ciliate species on H. circularisquama ranged from 1 to 75% standing stock removed d1 of the H. circularisquama concentration. High grazing losses mainly due to the genera Favella and Tontonia occurred during the period when the H. circularisquama concentration was decreasing. These results suggest that grazing by ciliate assemblages can influence the population dynamics of H. circularisquama despite the potentially toxic nature of the phytoplankter.