Ciliate abundance and biomass in water samples collected at Station SEPT-1997-GN36199704606MNB06 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).

实验采用硼砂缓冲福尔马林溶液（甲醛终浓度为2%）固定样品。用于纤毛虫（ciliate）计数的样品于4℃避光储存，直至观测。为完成纤毛虫的鉴定与计数，将100 mL样品置于沉降筒中静置24小时，随后在倒置落射荧光显微镜下进行观测。纤毛虫的细胞尺寸经测量后，采用Peuto-Moreau（Peuto-Moreau M., 1991. 海洋浮游贫毛亚纲（Ciliophora）纤毛虫的质体共生与混合营养特性. 国家博士学位论文, 尼斯-索菲亚安蒂波利斯大学）提出的适配几何公式换算为细胞体积。生物量估算采用140 fgC·μm⁻³的转换系数（Putt M.、Stoecker D.K., 1989. 河口与近海水域海洋贫毛类纤毛虫的实验碳体积比测定. 《湖沼学与海洋学》, 34卷, 1097-1103页）。