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The Diatom Nitzschia sicula (C astr .) Hust. and Naupliar Faecal Minipellets in the Adriatic sea
Author(s) -
Viliĉć Damir,
Krŝinić Frano,
Biĉanić Zlatko
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0485.1994.tb00039.x
Subject(s) - diatom , hydrography , nitzschia , oceanography , zooplankton , plankton , ocean gyre , phytoplankton , biology , ecology , subtropics , geology , nutrient
.Nitzschia sicula (C astr .) H ust ., a planktonic pennate diatom, dominated the microphytoplankton (10 4 ‐5 times 10 4 cells. 1 ‐1 ) in the central, oligotrophic Southern Adriatic Pit waters (20‐50m layer) in May 1990. Nauplii dominated the microzooplankton (3 indiv. 1 ‐1 in the 0‐50m layer, 130 μm mean body length) and produced a considerable amount of faecal (mini)pellets (1900. 1 ‐1 at 50m, mean diameter 47μm), which were compactly filled with N. sicula frustules. The subsurface accumulation of diatoms and nauplii was probably the result of both productive activity under specific hydrographic conditions and the convergence in a relatively strong southern Adriatic cyclonic gyre; the advective transport of populations along the shear zone, at the boundary between water masses of different thermo‐haline characteristics may also have played a role. The amount of minipellets was high if compared with the data available from other seas. This was probably due to high production of minipellets, their slow sinking rate, and/or an absence of manipulation of the faecal material by zooplankton.