The Relative Importance of Different Ciliate Taxa in the Pelagic Food Web of Lake Constance

• Published in: Microbial ecology Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 261 - 273
• Main Author: Müller, Helga
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer-Verlag New York Inc 01-11-1989; Springer
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass production; Chlorophylls; Estimated taxes; Fresh water; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genera; Lakes; Phytoplankton; Production estimates; Protozoa; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Taxa; Freshwater environment; Protozoa; Trophic chain; Europe; Lakes; Ciliata; Biomass; Germany; West Germany; Ecological abundance
• ISSN: 0095-3628; 1432-184X
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02075813

Abundance, biovolume, and species composition of pelagic ciliates in Lake Constance were recorded over two annual cycles (1987/88). Production was estimated from mean annual biovolumes and size-specific growth rates obtained from the literature. Cell concentrations and biovolumes ranged from 0.1 to 120 cells ml-1and from 3 to$1,200\ {\rm mm}^{3}\ {\rm m}^{-3}$, respectively. Mean annual values were, respectively, 6.8 cells ml-1and$94\ {\rm mm}^{3}\ {\rm m}^{-3}$in 1987, and 12.0 cells ml-1and$130\ {\rm mm}^{3}\ {\rm m}^{-3}$in 1988. In both years, prostome nanociliates (<20 μm) dominated numerically, while strobiliids in the size range 20-35 μm contributed most significantly to ciliate production. Ciliate community production, according to a crude calculation, yielded approximately 10-15 g C m-2year-1.