Protist transport via ballast water — biological classification of ballast tanks by food web interactions

Ship's ballast waters and sediments serve as a vector in the transportation of marine organisms, including toxic dinoflagellates, parasitic labyrinthulids and other potentially harmful species. These exotic organisms have caused major ecological changes, as well as concern over effects on human...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of protistology 1997-08, Vol.33 (3), p.244-253
Main Authors: Galil, Bella S., Hülsmann, Norbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates
Ballast water protozoa
Food web interactions
Protist dispersal
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Summary:Ship's ballast waters and sediments serve as a vector in the transportation of marine organisms, including toxic dinoflagellates, parasitic labyrinthulids and other potentially harmful species. These exotic organisms have caused major ecological changes, as well as concern over effects on human health, fishing and aquaculture. Heterotrophic protozoans may be inadvertently introduced when their trophic or resting stages are discharged with the ballasttank waters and sediments. This survey describes the protist communities present in ballast tanks of cargo vessels arriving in Israeli Mediterranean ports. 362 records of living protozoan species, identified to at least 198 species belonging to 82 heterotrophic genera, were made in this study. The tanks examined exhibited a remarkable uniformity of protist communities, enabling us to classify food web interactions, ranging from bacteria-grazing protozoans, predatory unicells, and more intricate associations including parasites and metazoans.
ISSN:0932-4739
1618-0429
DOI:10.1016/S0932-4739(97)80002-8