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AME 22:215-226 (2000)
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Abstract
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Heterotrophic protists as a trophic link between picocyanobacteria and the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera in the Takapoto lagoon (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia)
Pascale Loret1,*, Solange Le Gall2, Christine Dupuy2,3, Jean Blanchot4, Annie Pastoureaud2, Bruno Delesalle1, Xavier Caisey5, Gérard Jonquières5
1EPHE, URA-CNRS 1453, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan Cédex, France
2CREMA, BP 5, 17137 L'Houmeau, France
3LBEM, Université de La Rochelle, Pôle Science, Avenue Michel Crépeau, 17042 La Rochelle, France
4IRD, Station Biologique de Roscoff, BP 74, 29682 Roscoff, France
5IFREMER/COP, BP 7004 Taravao, Tahiti, French Polynesia
*Present address: Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 3146 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-3146, USA. E-mail: ploret@ocean.tamu.edu
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ABSTRACT: Pearl oysters are farmed in oligotrophic tropical atoll lagoons where planktonic communities are dominated by production from cyanobacteria smaller than 2 µm. Paradoxically, the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera only retains
particles larger than 2 µm. In this study, we assess the relative contribution of hetero/mixotrophic microbiota to the available planktonic resource. In Takapoto Atoll, picocyanobacteria are the dominant biomass (20 µg C l-1). The carbon
biomass of ciliates and dinoflagellates ranges from 1 to 24 and 0.5 to 5 µg C l-1 respectively, with a mean of 6 µg C l-1 for ciliates and 2 µg C l-1 for dinoflagellates. The possible retention by P.
margaritifera on a natural protist suspension was investigated. Due to its high clearance rates (ca 20 l h-1 g-1) the pearl oyster retained 85 µg C h-1 g-1 from ciliates and 65 µg C h-1
g-1 from dinoflagellates. Conversely, cyanobacteria were not efficiently retained by the bivalve and did not efficiently contribute to its diet. From our experiments, we concluded that hetero/mixotrophic protists rapidly and efficiently process
the picoplanktonic resource towards filter-feeders, particularly pearl oysters.
KEY WORDS: Protists · Atoll lagoon · Pearl oysters · Pinctada margaritifera · Picoplankton · Trophic resource
Full text in pdf format
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Published in AME Vol.
22, No. 3
(2000) on October 26
ISSN: 0948-3055.
Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 2000
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