Life Sciences Commons^™

Growth rates (µ) of abundant microzooplankton species were examined in field experiments conducted at ambient sea temperatures (21.8–9.0°C) in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters (70–78.5°N). The maximum species-specific m of ciliates and athecate dinoflagellates (0.33–1.67/d and 0.52–1.14/d, respectively) occurred at temperatures below 5°C and exceeded the µmax predicted by previously published, laboratory culture-derived equations. The opposite trend was found for thecate dinoflagellates, which grew faster in the warmer Atlantic Ocean water. Mixotrophic ciliates and dinoflagellates grew faster than their heterotrophic counterparts. At sub-zero temperatures, microzooplankton mmax matched those predicted for phytoplankton by temperature-dependent growth equations. These results indicate that …

Invasive quagga mussels have recently replaced zebra mussels as the dominant filter-feeding bivalves in the

Great Lakes. This study examined microzooplankton (i.e., grazers <200 μm) and their trophic interactions with

phytoplankton, bacteria, and bivalve mussels in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, following the zebra to quagga mussel

shift.Microzooplankton distribution displayed strong spatial and temporal variability (1.73–28.5 μg C/L) relative

to phytoplankton distribution. Ciliates were the dominant component, especially in the spring and early summer.

Rotifers and dinoflagellates increased toward late summer/fall in the inner and outer parts of the bay, respectively.

Microzooplankton grazing matched bacterial growth rates and removed ca. 30% …