Ciliate abundance and biomass in water samples collected at Station SEPT-1997-GN36199704606MNB05 in the Aegean Sea

Borax-buffered formalin (final concentration 2% formaldehyde). Samples for ciliate counting were stored at 4°C in the dark until observation. For ciliate identification and enumeration, 100 ml samples were left for 24 h in sedimentation cylinders and then observed under an inverted epifluorescence microscope. Ciliate cell sizes were measured and converted into cell volumes using appropriate geometric formulae of Peuto-Moreau (Peuto-Moreau M., 1991. Symbiose plastidiale et mixotrophie des cilies planctoniques marins Oligotrichina (Ciliophora). These de Doctorat d' etat, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis). For biomass estimation the conversion factor 140 fgC µm^-3 was used (Putt M., Stoecker D.K., 1989. An experimentally determined carbon: volume ratio for marine oligotrichous ciliates from estuarine and coastal waters. Limnology and Oceanography 34, 1097-1103).采用硼砂缓冲福尔马林（终浓度为2%甲醛）固定样品。用于纤毛虫（ciliate）计数的样品于4℃避光保存，直至镜检。针对纤毛虫的鉴定与计数，取100 mL样品置于沉降筒（sedimentation cylinders）中静置24 h，随后在倒置落射荧光显微镜（inverted epifluorescence microscope）下进行观测。纤毛虫细胞尺寸通过Peuto-Moreau（Peuto-Moreau M., 1991. 海洋贫毛亚纲（Oligotrichina，纤毛门Ciliophora）浮游纤毛虫的质体共生与混合营养. 尼斯-索菲亚安提波利斯大学国家博士学位论文）提出的适配几何公式进行测量，并换算为细胞体积。生物量估算采用转换系数140飞克碳每立方微米（fgC·μm⁻³）（Putt M., Stoecker D.K., 1989. 河口与近海水域海洋寡毛类纤毛虫的实验测定碳体积比. 《湖沼学与海洋学》34卷，1097-1103页）