Protist transport via ballast water - Biological classification of ballast tanks by food web interactions

摘要

Ship's ballast waters and sediments serve as a vector in the transportation of marine organisms, including toxic dinoflagellates, parasitic labyrinthulids and other potentially harmful species, These exotic organisms have caused major ecological changes, as well as concern over effects an human health, fishing and aquaculture. Heterotrophic pratozoans may be inadvertently introduced when their trophic or resting stages are discharged with the ballast-tank waters and sediments, This survey describes the protist communities present in ballast tanks of cargo vessels arriving in Israeli Mediterranean Forts, 362 records of living protozoan species, identified to at least 198 species belonging to 82 heterotrophic genera, were made in this study The tanks examined exhibited a remarkable uniformity of protist communities, enabling us to classify food web interactions, ranging from bacteria-grazing protozoans, predatory unicells, and more intricate associations including parasites and metazoans.