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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 931

N.E. Kinner and Colin R. Curds; Development of protozoan and metazoan communities in rotating biological contactor biofilms. Water Research 21(4):481-490, 1987

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Biofilms, in pilot-scale rotating biological contactors (RBCs) receiving 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 gTOC m-2 day-1 of settled domestic sewage, were examined using light microscopy. The protozoan and metazoan communities which developed were complex and varied with the applied organic loading rate. Protozoan and metazoan succession from startup of the RBCs progressed from zooflagellates and small amoebae to free swimming bacteriovorous ciliates and then to peritrichous and carnivorous ciliates, rotifers, and large amoebae. The pilot scale studies demonstrated that protozoa and metazoa may be suitable indicators of effluent quality in RBCs.