Ecology Of Marine Protozoa

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in the role of protozoa in the ecology of the world's oceans. In addition to their vital role in global nutrient cycles, marine protozoa also exhibit some of the most interesting symbiotic associations presently known, ranging from parasitism to mutualism, contributing greatly to our knowledge of eukaryote evolution. Additionally, stratigraphic examination of extinct forms provides important keys to past world climate and ocean conditions, while the study of extant forms yields major insights into present-day ocean conditions and circulation patterns. This volume provides a general overview of the ecology of marine protozoa. It features contributions from eleven internationally known oceanographers and marine biologists on such important topics as protozoan growth and nutrition, physiology, feeding activities, symbiosis, taxonomy, and paleobiology. The editor has helpfully organized the text on the basis of ecological function. It is intended for use by research scientists and graduate students in the fields of marine ecology, biological oceanography, and marine biology, as well as by microbiologists, cell biologists, mathematical ecologists, paleontologists, marine geologists, and marine chemists seeking an update on the field or who are considering work in this area.

In the summer of 1988, under NATO sponsorship, approximately 80 scientists lived and worked together in Plymouth for two weeks to evaluate the ecological role of protozoa in the sea. Through the convivial surroundings, close working conditions and special facilities that had been brought together for NATO ASI 604/87 a 'melting pot' of ideas was formed, which stimulated the multidisciplinary creativity which is expressed in this book and in a second series of papers which will be published in Marine Microbial Food Webs under the title - "Protozoa and their Role in Marine Microbial Food Webs". Discussions of the role of protozoa in the microbial food web, in the cycling of carbon and nitrogen and the extent to which this web acts as a link or sink to metazoa in the water column were major themes of the ASI. Structured sessions covering oral and poster presentations, field work, model 1 ing, laboratory practicals and demonstrations of techniques such as image analysis and flow cytometry, formed the core of the meeting. Participants took part enthusiastically in the practical sessions developing new concepts and obtaining new insights into their work. The practicals included a 'protozoo' and some beautiful films and videos. Field excursions were made to a range of sites including a unique marine sewage farm at Looe in Cornwall, (Jones this volume). Interactive workshops allowed scientists with no modelling experience to input their results to three simulation models and a flow analysis package.

This book emphasises the important role that protozoa play in many natural ecosystems. To shed new light on their individual adaptive skills, the respective chapters examine the ecology and functional biology of this diverse group of eukaryotic microbes. Protozoa are well-established model organisms that exemplify many general problems in population ecology and community ecology, as well as evolutionary biology. Their particular characteristics, like large population sizes, life cycles and motile sensory behaviour, have a profound impact on their survival, distribution, and interaction with other species. Thus, readers will also be introduced to protozoan habitats in a broad range of environments. Even though this group of unicellular organisms is highly diverse, the authors focus on shared ecological patterns. Students and scientists working in the areas of eukaryotic microbiology and ecology will appreciate this updated and revised 2nd Edition as a valuable reference guide to the “lifestyles” of protozoa.

This comprehensive book provides a unique overview of advances in the biology and ecology of marine protists. Nowadays marine protistology is a hot spot in science to disclose life phenomena using the latest techniques. Although many protistological textbooks deal with the cytology, genetics, ecology, and pathology of specific organisms, none keeps up with the quick pace of new discoveries on the diversity and dynamics of marine protists in general. The bookMarine Protists: Diversity and Dynamics gives an overview of current research on the phylogeny, cytology, genomics, biology, ecology, fisheries, applied sciences, geology and pathology of marine free-living and symbiotic protists. Poorly known but ecologically important protists such as labyrinthulids and apostome ciliates are also presented in detail. Special attention is paid to complex interactions between marine protists and other organisms including human beings. An understanding of the ecological roles of marine protists is essential for conservation of nature and human welfare. This book will be of great interest not only to scientists and students but also to a larger audience, to give a better understanding of protists’ diverse roles in marine ecosystems.

This book provides aquatic biologists with a concise text on the biology, temporal and spatial distribution patterns, and the functional role of planktonic protozoa in fresh, brackish and marine waters.

Planktonic protists both produce and consume most of the primary production in the world ocean. They not only play key roles in the oceans but also represent an astounding amount of diversity: ecological morphological and genetic. However, for most taxa their ecology, morphology, phylogeny and biogeography are either poorly known or appear to be largely unrelated to one another; this hinders our understanding of their biology as well as interpretation of emerging genetic data. Tintinnid ciliates represent a singular exception. Compared to nearly all other groups of planktonic protists, there is a very substantial and relatively detailed literature (both modern and historical) on tintinnids. This volume synthesizes knowledge concerning a wide variety of topics ranging from anatomy and systematics, physiology, behavior, ecology (including ecological roles, predators, parasites, biogeography, and cysts) to fossil history. It will appeal to an audience ranging from advanced undergraduates to researchers in the fields of Oceanography, Marine Biology and Microbial Ecology.

This text is aimed principally at the beginning graduate or advanced undergraduate student, but was written also to serve as a review and, more ambitiously, as a synthesis of the field. To achieve these purposes, several objectives were imposed on the writing. The first was, since ecol ogists must be the master borrowers of biology, to give the flavor of the eclectic nature of the field by providing coverage of many of the interdis ciplinary topics relevant to marine ecology. The second objective was to portray marine ecology as a discipline in the course of discovery, one in which there are very few settled issues. In many instances it is only possible to discuss diverse views and point out the need for further study. The lack of clear conclusions may be frustrating to the beginning student but nonetheless reflects the current-and necessarily exciting-state of the discipline. The third purpose is to guide the reader further into topics of specialized interest by providing sufficient recent references especially reviews. The fourth objective is to present marine ecology for what it is: a branch of ecology. Many concepts, approaches, and methods of marine ecology are inspired or derived from terrestrial and limnological antecedents. There are, in addition, instructive comparisons to be made among results obtained from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environ ments, I have therefore incorporated the intellectual antecedents of par ticular concepts and some non-marine comparisons into the text.