Mucous aggregates under natural and laboratory conditions: a review

• Published in: Science of the total environment Vol. 165; no. 1-3; pp. 145 - 154
• Main Authors: Monti, M., Welker, C., Dellavalle, G., Casaretto, L., Umani, S.Fonda
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 07.04.1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chaetoceros; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Microcosms; Mucous aggregates; Nitzschia; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; Italy; Europe; Mucous aggregates; Microcosms; Chlorophyll; Floristic composition; Filament; Algae; Trophic factor; Environmental factor; Chrysophycophyta; Review; Sediments; Coastal zone; Marine environment; Species diversity; Ultrastructure; Seasonal variation; Production; Water quality; Nutrient; Phytoplankton; Chemical concentration; Aggregate; Mucilage; Population density; Species richness; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/0048-9697(95)04548-F

During the years 1991 and 1992 several experiments were carried out in order to study the phenomenon of mucous aggregates in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Samples of surface and bottom sea water were treated in different ways, according to the various experiments, and then placed in 10 or 20-1 tanks. The tanks were stored in thermostatic cells at a temperature of 20°C and a 16:8 h light:darkness period. After 8–10 days the formation of mucous filaments occurred. The genus Nitzschia was essential for the formation of mucous filaments, under the conditions of light and temperature applied during the experiments. Appropriate concentrations of phytoplankton and nutrients seemed to be very important also. It was possible to observe a sequence of species in the formation of mucilaginous filaments. There was a transition from species belonging to centric diatoms toward pennate diatoms. The centric diatoms (genus Chaetoceros) formed the first small aggregates which later, with the colonisation of the genus Nitzschia, developed into real filaments.