Plankton-Derived Resting Stages in Marine Coastal Sediments along the Salento Peninsula (Apulia, South-Eastern Italy) |
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| Authors: | Fernando Rubino Salvatore Moscatello Orestina D Saracino Giovanni Fanelli Genuario Belmonte Ferdinando Boero |
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| Institution: | Istituto per I'Ambiente Marino Costiero, Sezione Talassografico "A. Cerruti" di Taranto, C.N.R., via Roma, 3, 1-74100 Taranto, Italy;Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Ambientali, Stazione di Biologia Marina, University of Lecce;via Prov.le per Monteroni, 1-73100 Lecce, Italy. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. An oceanographic survey was carried out along the Salento Peninsula in March 2000. Resting stages of plankton were searched for in coastal sediments to study the microplankton composition in addition to the classical analysis of active stages in the water column. A total of 215 taxa were recognised, 149 as active stages in the water column and 74 as resting stages in the sediments. Cysts were widely distributed and at Brindisi and Alimini their abundance was higher than elsewhere. A general trend was observed with resting stage abundance, species richness and diversity in the sediments: all three decreased with distance from the coast. The integrated water/sediments approach used in this study allowed us to collect 37 species (mainly as resting stages) new for the studied area. |
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| Keywords: | Salento Peninsula plankton resting stages coastal areas benthic-pelagic coupling |
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