Open AccessThe microplankton organisms at the oxic‐anoxic interface in the pelagial of the Black Sea
Author(s) -
Zubkov M.V.,
Sazhin A.F.,
Flint M.V.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1992.tb05781.x
Subject(s) - anoxic waters , oceanography , black sea , environmental science , ecology , biology , geology
The semi‐permanent anoxia in the deep‐waters of the Black Sea supported the formation of a unique microplankton community at the oxicanoxic interface. One group of ciliates ( Pleuronema marinum, Askenasia sp., species of the families Tracheliidae, Holophryidae and Amphileptidae) inhabited the water layer just above the upper boundary of H 2 S, and was spatially associated with and fed on large colorless sulphur bacteria ( Thiovulum spp.). Other ciliates (species of order Scuticociliatida) populated the upper layer of the H 2 S zone. A significant part of them possessed ectosymbiotic bacteria. Since the metazoans were not found in the O 2 and H 2 S boundary layer, the protist community is considered to be the main factor in utilization of chemotrophic bacterial production.