Ingestion of a bacterivorous ciliate by the oyster Crassostrea gigas: Protozoa as a trophic link between picoplankton and benthic suspension-feeders
Data(s) |
1997
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Resumo |
The linked concepts of 'microbial loop' and 'protozoan trophic link' have been very well documented in filter-feeding microzooplankton such as copepods, but have not been applied to energy transfer to benthic suspension-feeding macrofauna, with the exception of the recent demonstration of heterotrophic flagellate assimilation by mussels. The oyster Crassostrea gigas obtains energy resources by filtering microalgae (similar to 5 to 100 mu m). However, in turbid estuaries, light-limited phytoplanktonic production cannot entirely account for oyster energy requirements. Conversely, picoplankters (<2 mu m), which are main effecters of coastal energy flow and matter cycling, are not efficiently retained by oyster filtration. Ciliate protozoal as both micro-sized cells (similar to 5 to 100 run) and bacteria grazers, may represent a major intermediary in trophic transfer between picoplankton and metazoa. The ciliate Uronema was intensely cultured and labelled, using the cyanobacteria Synechococcus as an auto-fluorescent biomarker. The labelled ciliates were offered as potential prey to oysters. We report here the first experimental evidence of a significant retention and ingestion of ciliates by oysters, supporting the role of protozoa as a realistic trophic link between picoplankters and filter-feeding bivalves and thus enhancing their potential importance in estuarine microbial food webs. |
Formato |
application/pdf |
Identificador |
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00337/44788/44482.pdf DOI:10.3354/meps152301 |
Idioma(s) |
eng |
Publicador |
Inter-research |
Direitos |
Inter-Research 1997 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess restricted use |
Fonte |
Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-research), 1997 , Vol. 152 , N. 1-3 , P. 301-306 |
Palavras-Chave | #oyster #food sources #picoplankton #protozoa #trophic link |
Tipo |
text Publication info:eu-repo/semantics/article |