Abundance and Biogeography of Tintinnids (Ciliophora) and associated microzooplankton in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

THOMPSON GUSTAVO; ALDER VIVIANA; BOLTOVSKOY DEMETRIO; BRANDINI FEDERICO

JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH

Oxford University Press

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 1999 vol. 21 p. 1265 - 1298

0142-7873

Absolute abundances of foraminifers, polycystine and phaeodarian radiolarians, tintinnids, pteropods, and early crustacean larvae and moults were assessed in a collection of 57 vertically stratified (0-100 m) net microplankton samples from 22 stations located between 34 and 58°S (along 51-56°W), covered on 8-16 November 1994. Tintinnids were identified to species and measured in order to estimate their biomass from biovolume to carbon conversions. The distribution of the microzooplanktonic groups assessed was irregular and patchy, both geographically and vertically, and their abundances were characteristic of oceanic low to medium productivity environments. Tintinnid biomass was also generally low (0.05 to 0.40 µg C l-1). With the exception of the tintinnids, associations between microzooplanktonic numbers and chlorophyll a were generally loose. Eighty-eight tintinnid taxa were recorded, yet only five accounted for 53% of the specimens identified. Multivariate (cluster) analysis of tintinnid specific distribution patterns clearly showed several distinct zones. From north to south, these are: Transition Zone (TZ), with three subzones, TZ north (34°S-38°S), TZ central (39°44?S-44°S), and TZ south (46°S); Subantarctic Zone (SZ, 48-55°S); Polar Front Zone (55°30?S); and Antarctic Zone (AZ, 58-59°36?S). Each of these was characterized by distinct tintinnid assemblages, abundance and biomass. With few exceptions, tintinnid cells were fairly evenly distributed throughout the upper 50 m. Taxonomic composition usually changed little with depth. Mean population depths were calculated for a subset of 35 tintinnids; 29 of these dwell preferably above 40 m. The spatial distribution of tintinnid species richness showed a more or less gradual decrease from north to south. Specific diversity and equitability generally increased with depth, and were higher in antarctic waters than the southern transitional and subantarctic ones; this trend is tentatively attributed to higher water column vertical stability south of the Polar Front