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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 7125

Krzysztof Rychert; Dependence between Volumes of Protoplast and Lorica in Lugol-fixed Tintinnid Ciliates. Protist 162:249-252, 2011

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The relationship between the volume of tintinnid loricae and protoplasts was studied on the basis of bulk data derived from samples collected in a range of temperate environments: riverine, lacustrine, estuarine and marine. All organisms were fixed with acid Lugol solution (0.5-1.0%). The dependence was described with the allometric equation: VL=2.74xVP(1.03), where VL and VP are volumes [µm3] of loricae and protoplasts, respectively. The dependence was highly significant (p<0.001, n=417, R(2)=0.85). On average, protoplasts occupied 31% of the lorica volume. One species, Helicostomella subulata, was omitted from the calculations and treated separately since this ciliate has a relatively large lorica. The relationship identified between lorica and protoplast volumes permits recalculating incomplete data if protoplasts are the only body part measured.