III-E-23 



Elliot, P.B., and S.S. Bamforth. 1975. Interstitial protozoa and algae 

 of Louisiana salt marshes. Journal of Protozoology 22:514-519. 



Interstitial ciliate distributions were studied in Louisiana salt 

 marshes and stagnant connecting pools dominated by Spartina and Distichl is 

 spicata . The sediments constitute a "sulphide biome. " The abundance of 

 nutrients in the sulfide biome provides habitable conditions for all the 

 major groups of microflora. These, in turn, support nutritionally diverse 

 predatory ciliate populations. (J.B.) 



Keywords: Spartina , Distichl is spicata , algae, Louisiana 



III-E-24 



Lackey, J.B. 1967. The microbiota of estuaries and their roles. Pages 291- 

 302 ijx G.H. Lauff, ed., Estuaries. American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, Washington, D.C. 



This report covers the species and roles of bacteria, algae, and pro- 

 tozoa found in estuarine environments. 



Food is brought into estuaries by the land-fed streams, and the death 

 of plants and animals adds further organic matter. One result is a large 

 population of bacteria both in the water and in the sediments. This popula- 

 tion, aside from its function of mineralization, may become food for large 

 animals. There is increasing evidence that soluble organic food is utilized 

 by both chlorophyll-containing organisms and colorless saprozoites, such as 

 the large populations of colorless euglenids in the sediment-water interface, 

 Eubacteriales and yeasts are food for large numbers of colorless Monas and 

 Pteridomonas . The former is ubiquitous, but the latter is rarely seen. 

 Thus, specialized substrates result in specialized biotas. 



Despite a small number of genera and species, the three orders of 

 colorless zooflagellates often attain large populations in estuaries, 

 where their principal functions are the consumption of bacteria and sub- 

 sequent utilization by higher orders in the food chain. (H.D.) 



Keywords: estuaries, microbiota, food chain 



136 



