SEASONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A MARINE SUBLITTORAL AREA USING EPIBENTHIC PROTIST COMMUNITIES

摘要

The biomass of the protist species present in a marine epibenthonic sublittoral area was studied over a period of l yr. The following parameters were measured: temperature, salinity, pH, redox potential, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, organic matter, conductivity and bacterial biomass. A total of 269 protist species was foun4 with a biom- ass of 24l.28--l7875 mgC m~-3, the largest proportion of biomass corresponding to het- erotrophic protist. There were 29 most frequent protist species: Lacrymaria caudata, Amphidinium sp., Chromulina psammobia, Cyathomonas truncata, Petalomonas marginalis, Nassula rubens, Tracheloraphis caudatus, Strongylidium arenicola, Litonotus fasciola, Katodinium sp., Aspidisca dentata, Diophrys oligotrix, Eutreptia viridis, Pleuronema setigerum, EuPlotes balticus, Dinophyslk rotundata, Remanella microstoma, Strombidium compressum, Aspidisca fusca, Gloeodinium marinum, Pavlova salina, Anophrys arenicola, Strombidium sauerbreyae, Pleuronema crassum, Aspidisca cicada, Micromonas pusilla, Phyllomonas simplex, Mcromonas squamata and Strombidium dalum. The data regarding the biomass of these species, together with those referring to the other parameters measured, allowed the division of the year into three periods charac- terized by certain protist species and physicochemical conditions; (l ) November--Febru- ary (2) MarchJuly and (3) August--November.