Annual abundance and biomass of aloricate ciliates in tropical neritic waters off Kingston,Jamaica |
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Authors: | D H Lynn J C Roff R R Hopcroft |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, N1G 2W1 Guelph, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | The daily abundance of aloricate ciliates at Lime Cay, Jamaica, a shallow neritic site, ranged from 29 to 118 × 106 m–2 (0.97 to 3.93 × 106 m–3) between November 1985 and November 1986. Biomass was converted to kilojoules (1 kcal=4.1855 kJ) assuming 42% carbon, 20.15 kJ (g dry wt)–1, and 20% cell shrinkage. Biomass ranged from 0.40 to 3.00 kJ m–2 (13.3 to 100 J m–3; 0.28 to 2.08µg C l–1) with an annual mean of 1.11 kJ m–2 (36.8 J m–3; 0.764µg C l–1). Nanociliates (<20µm equivalent spherical diameter, ESD) dominated abundance, but microciliates (> 20µm ESD) dominated biomass.Strombidium, Strobilidium, Tontonia andLaboea species were conspicuous taxa. Annual production estimates of the aloricate assemblage, based on literature growth rates, ranged from 404 kJ m–2 yr–1 (37 J m–3 d–1) to 1614 kJ m–2 yr–1 (147 J m–3 d–1). A compromise estimate of 689 kJ m–2 yr–1 (i.e., 63 J m–3 d–1) is comparable to other estimates from tropical and subtropical regions. A model of annual energy flow through 11 planktonic compartments suggests the total ciliate assemblage (aloricates and tintinnines) to be as productive as metazoan herbivores and metazoan carnivores. |
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