Planktonic Shelled Protists (Foraminifera and Radiolaria Polycystina)

Content Provider	Scilit
Author	Boltovskoy, Demetrio Correa, Nancy M.
Copyright Year	2020
Description	Planktonic Foraminifera and Polycystina (Radiolaria) share several important traits: both are shelled organisms (calcite in the former, silica in the latter), are often very abundant and widely distributed in space (horizontally and vertically) and time, predominantly open-ocean, and include many symbiont-bearing forms. On the other hand, in terms of species richness, contrasts are significant, with only ~50 morphospecies in Foraminifera, as compared to ~400–800 in Polycystina. The worldwide distribution patterns of species assemblages are roughly similar in the two groups, but not identical. Northern and southern Polar regions host similar foraminiferal assemblages, but dominant polycystines are quite different. For the polycystines, subpolar waters differ rather clearly from the polar ones, whereas for the foraminifers this distinction is less clear. Transitional assemblages are more sharply defined for the foraminifers, but the eastern equatorial Pacific, which hosts a distinct polycystine assemblage, different from the rest of the tropics, is not present in the foraminifers. A major difference in the latitudinal gradient of species richness is the fact that in Foraminifera, highest values are located around 20°N–30°N and 20°S–30°S, dropping at the equator, whereas in Polycystina there is no such drop, and highest numbers of species occur at the equator. Several alternatives or complementary hypotheses that may explain these dissimilarities are discussed. Book Name: Zooplankton Ecology
Related Links	https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2017-0-68671-2&isbn=9781351021821&doi=10.1201/9781351021821-8&format=pdf
Ending Page	141
Page Count	23
Starting Page	119
DOI	10.1201/9781351021821-8
Language	English
Publisher	Informa UK Limited
Publisher Date	2020-11-12
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Book Name: Zooplankton Ecology Paleontology Foraminifers Planktonic Foraminifera Radiolaria Equator Shelled Polycystina Highest
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Chapter