Morphology and ecology of the diatom Chaetoceros vixvisibilis (Chaetocerotales, Bacillariophyceae) from the Adriatic Sea
The chain-forming diatom Chaetoceros vixvisibilis is one of the most abundant and frequent diatoms in the northeastern Adriatic Sea. This species had not been previously studied by electron microscopy. Its general morphology is similar to those species allocated in the subgenus Hyalochaete: cells an...
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Published in | Journal of plankton research Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 1513 - 1525 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford
Oxford University Press
01.11.2010
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The chain-forming diatom Chaetoceros vixvisibilis is one of the most abundant and frequent diatoms in the northeastern Adriatic Sea. This species had not been previously studied by electron microscopy. Its general morphology is similar to those species allocated in the subgenus Hyalochaete: cells and chains (straight, of variable length, usually 4–8 cells per chain, but can be longer) of delicate appearance, valves thinly silicified, with slightly eccentric annulus and costae radiating from it, a single rimoportula present only at terminal valves, long, thin and delicate setae perforated by tiny poroids with no spines, and one plate-like chloroplast per cell. Setae with no spines are not common among members of Hyalochaete (and the whole genus Chaetoceros), except C. socialis. The most characteristic feature is, however, the resting spores commonly found, which also show morphological variability, from solitary to paired, both valves convex to domed and surface smooth or with small granules, and one to four strong spines often branching dichotomically. Abundances of C. vixvisibilis are positively correlated to the Po River inflow. Maximum abundances (>106 cells L−1) were found in the period April–July, in the temperature range between 12 and 16°C, salinity between 33 and 38, when total phosphorus concentration is higher than 0.4 µmol L−1, but occasionally also in nitrogen limited conditions. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/HXZ-JKNCVHK3-K ArticleID:fbq080 istex:88343BB71F640A8DC009D74A2956622942B7B1B1 Corresponding editor: William K. W. Li href:fbq080.pdf ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0142-7873 1464-3774 |
DOI: | 10.1093/plankt/fbq080 |