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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Distribution and seasonal dynamics of Cryptomonads in Sicilian water bodies
Luigi Naselli-floresRossella Baronesubject
0106 biological sciencesCryptomonads phytoplankton seasonal dynamics freshwater Sicily010604 marine biology & hydrobiologySettore BIO/03 - Botanica Ambientale E Applicata010501 environmental sciencesAquatic Science01 natural sciences0105 earth and related environmental sciencesdescription
Several species with a relevant ecological importance belong to Cryptophyta. Nevertheless, species-level identification from microscopic observations is problematic, lacking recent taxonomic keys. In this study we report our observations on distribution and seasonal dynamics of Cryptomonads in 33 Sicilian water bodies, as well as the main taxonomical problems we encountered. Species of the genera Cryptomonas and Plagioselmis are the most common in the examined water bodies. Their biomass seasonal trends usually show a peak in late winter and early spring. In advanced spring, and also in summer, due to the higher grazing pressure, the Cryptomonads biomass reaches its lowest values. Moreover, in a small, eutrophic, temporary pond (Santa Rosalia), without grazing pressure in spring, the Cryptomonads bloomed in summer. From our results, we propose to focus the attention on the sensitiveness of these organisms to filter feeding to explain their seasonal dynamics.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-07-01 |