J. S. Gray, The Ecology of Marine Sediments — An Introduction to the Structures and Functions of Benthic Communities (Cambridge Studies in Modern Biology 2). XI + 185 S., 61 Abb., 21 Tab. Cambridge 1981. Cambridge University Press. £ 6.95

The knowledge of sediment texture is a main issue in the marine environmental research. Studies on sediment contamination, ecology of benthic communities, seismic studies, remote sensing surveys and beach nourishment are among the research areas which benefit of information on sediment grain size. In this review, the main methods used for sampling, measuring and classifying marine sediments are critically illustrated in order to highlight their strengths and weaknesses. From this revision it was deduced that it does not exists a single procedure, considered as the best one, to be applied in all the cases for obtaining reliable grain size data. This result can be achieved using as much as possible flexible strategies, and adopting the suitable sampling devices and analytical instruments based on the overall characteristics of the study area and the specific aim of the survey.

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R. S. K. BARNES: Coastal Lagoons. The Natural History of a Neglected Habitat. = Cambridge Studies in Modern Biology 1. – 106 pp. Cambridge: University Press 1980. ISBN 0 521 23422 0 (hard cover) 29945 4 (paperback) £ 12.00/4.95

Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie ◽

10.1002/iroh.19810660619 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 66 (6) ◽

pp. 905-905

Author(s):

H. Caspers

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Coastal Lagoons ◽

Modern Biology ◽

Cambridge University ◽

History Of ◽

Hard Cover

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Diversity of Oligotrichia and Choreotrichia Ciliates in Coastal Marine Sediments and in Overlying Plankton

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01604-09 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 (12) ◽

pp. 3924-3935 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Mary Doherty ◽

Maiko Tamura ◽

Jan A. C. Vriezen ◽

George B. McManus ◽

Laura A. Katz

Keyword(s):

New England ◽

Spatial Scale ◽

Marine Sediments ◽

Benthic Communities ◽

Molecular Approach ◽

Marine Ciliate ◽

Benthic Assemblages ◽

Marine Systems ◽

Coastal Marine ◽

The Relationship

ABSTRACT Elucidating the relationship between ciliate communities in the benthos and the plankton is critical to understanding ciliate diversity in marine systems. Although data for many lineages are sparse, at least some members of the dominant marine ciliate clades Oligotrichia and Choreotrichia can be found in both plankton and benthos, in the latter either as cysts or active forms. In this study, we developed a molecular approach to address the relationship between the diversity of ciliates in the plankton and those of the underlying benthos in the same locations. Samples from plankton and sediments were compared across three sites along the New England coast, and additional subsamples were analyzed to assess reproducibility of methods. We found that sediment and plankton subsamples differed in their robustness to repeated subsampling. Sediment subsamples (i.e., 1-g aliquots from a single ∼20-g sample) gave variable estimates of diversity, while plankton subsamples produced consistent results. These results indicate the need for additional study to determine the spatial scale over which diversity varies in marine sediments. Clustering of phylogenetic types indicates that benthic assemblages of oligotrichs and choreotrichs appear to be more like those from spatially remote benthic communities than the ciliate communities sampled in the water above them.

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