The importance of phytoflagellate, heterotrophic flagellate and ciliate grazing on bacteria and picophytoplankton sized prey in a coastal marine environment
Open Access
- 1 September 1993
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Plankton Research
- Vol. 15 (9) , 1075-1086
- https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/15.9.1075
Abstract
The uptake of bacteria and picoplankton sized fluorescently labelled beads was measured off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand in winter. Phytoflagellates and heterotrophic flagellates showed similar grazing rates on 0.49 μm beads, with mean clearance rates of 1.1 and 1.8 nl ind. −1 h −1 , respectively. Clearance rates for 1.09 μm beads were 0.9 nl ind. −1 h −1 for heterotrophic flagellates and 0.5 nl ind. −1 h −1 for phytoflagellates. Non-loricate ciliates had clearance rates of 1.5 μl ind. −1 h −1 for the picoplankton sized particles. The heterotrophic flagellates showed no significant difference between clearance rates of 0.49 and 1.09 μm particles. Phytoflagellates, however, showed an apparent preference for the smaller particles. The measurement of significant grazing by phytoflagellate populations in the marine environment is important and indicates that we need to reassess our concepts of food web structure.Keywords
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