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Tintinnid distributions in the Strait of Magellan (Chile)

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Abstract

In the Strait of Magellan and in the adjacent Pacific and Atlantic Ocean shelf tintinnids were studied during three oceanographic cruises (November 1989, March–April 1991, and April 1995). Total tintinnid abundances were higher in the first cruise and dramatically decreased in the other two late summer cruises. As a general rule, abundances were higher at the surface and in the Atlantic sector. A total of 47 tintinnid species were found. There was not a single species, which could be identified as indicator of a specific water mass. For each cruise, cluster analysis applied on a species/samples matrix identified station sets characterized by a specific tintinnid association. Angosturas entrance was characterized by agglutinated lorica tintinnids, typical of the Atlantic waters, while the Pacific sector by hyaline species. In Punta Arenas basin, a peculiar tintinnid community was clearly identified, although water masses derived from the mixing process between the Pacific and Atlantic waters. Overall, tintinnid communities maintained the structure typical of the water mass despite advection and/or mixing. The main result of this study was to demonstrate that the structure of the tintinnid species association could be used as indicator of the origin of water masses.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by PRNA (Italian Research Antarctic Program). The crews of M/N OGS Explora and Italica are thanked for their helpful contribution in solving all logistic problems. The Authors wish to thank Dr. C. Pavesi for helping in microzooplankton analyses and E. Cociancich for graphical support. The efforts of J. Dolan, G. MacManus, and V. Alder, whose comments led to a substantial improvement in the manuscript, are gratefully acknowledged. Lastly, we want to particularly acknowledge PhD Francesca Malfatti for her throughout English revision of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, v. Valerio 28/1, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    S. Fonda Umani

  2. Department of Biological Oceanography, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale—OGS, Via A. Piccard 54, 34151, Trieste, Italy

    M. Monti & B. Cataletto

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze per l’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”, Centro Direzionale Isola C4, 80143, Naples, Italy

    G. Budillon

Authors
  1. S. Fonda Umani
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  2. M. Monti
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  3. B. Cataletto
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  4. G. Budillon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Fonda Umani.

Additional information

This article belongs to a special topic: a number of articles coordinated by L. Guglielmo and V. Saggiomo appear in this issue of Polar Biology and are a result of two workshops on “The pelagic ecosystem of the Strait of Magellan” held in August 2008 and 2009 in Capo Calavà Village, Messina, Italy. The studies were conducted in the frame of the National Program of Research in Antarctica (PNRA) of Italy.

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Fonda Umani, S., Monti, M., Cataletto, B. et al. Tintinnid distributions in the Strait of Magellan (Chile). Polar Biol 34, 1285–1299 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0972-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0972-7

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