David Montagnes is an aquatic ecologist. He combines modelling, laboratory, and field studies investigations into the ecophysiology and behaviour of protists- aquatic taxa forming a rich assemblage and occupying environmentally important niches. His research themes include the flow of energy and biomass in ecosystems and how abiotic and biotic properties and anthropogenic perturbations alter individuals, populations, and ecosystems.

Sabine Agatha is a ciliate taxonomist. She has spent over 20 years describing and classifying ciliates mostly from marine habitats by combining morphologic and genetic approaches. The biodiversity, evolution, and biogeography of ciliates are her main research topics. 

Wayne Coats is a recently retired protistologist. His research encompasses ecology, morphology, life history, and taxonomy of dinoflagellates and ciliates. Parasitism and mixotrophy are featured themes of his work. 

Diane Stoecker is a biological oceanographer. Her laboratory and field projects focus on microzooplankton and their grazing on phytoplankton and role as prey for copepods and other mesozooplankton. Plastid retention and mixotrophy in ciliates and dinoflagellates and their effects on population dynamics and trophic transfer are other favorite research topics.

CONTRIBUTORS, vii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO TINTINNIDS, 1

John R. Dolan

1.1  Why a book on tintinnid ciliates?, 2

1.2  What is a tintinnid ciliate?, 3

1.3  The lorica as the defining characteristic of tintinnid ciliates, 3

1.4  History of tintinnid studies, 7

1.5  Tintinnids as model organisms for marine plankton, 13

1.6  Key points, 16

Acknowledgments, 16

CHAPTER 2 THE TINTINNID LORICA, 17

Sabine Agatha, Michèle Laval-Peuto and Paul Simon

2.1 Introduction, 18

2.2 Diversity, formation, and variability of loricae, 19

2.3 Ultrastructure of loricae, 32

2.4 Chemical composition of loricae, 35

2.5 Lorica sedimentation, 40

2.6 Key points, 41

Acknowledgments, 41

CHAPTER 3 SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION OF TINTINNID CILIATES, 42

Sabine Agatha and Michaela C. Strüder-kypke

3.1 Introduction, 43

3.2 History of tintinnid taxonomy and systematics, 44

3.3 Evolution of tintinnids, 49

3.4 How to read the tintinnid cladogram, 64

3.5 Molecular analysis and comparison with morphologic data, 69

3.6 Systematics, 75

3.7 Comparison with the evolution of related planktonic ciliates: the aloricate choreotrichids, oligotrichids, and halteriids, 81

3.8 Key points, 83

Acknowledgments, 84

CHAPTER 4 ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF TINTINNIDS, 85

David J. S. Montagnes

4.1 Introduction, 86

4.2 Feeding, 86

4.3 Growth, 99

4.4 Swimming behavior, 106

4.5 Response to abiotic factors and interactions with biotic factors, 111

4.6 Tintinnids as models and in models, 114

4.7 Key points, 121

Acknowledgments, 121

CHAPTER 5 PREDATORS OF TINTINNIDS, 122

Diane K. Stoecker

5.1 Introduction, 123

5.2 Predators of tintinnids, 133

5.3 Anti-predator defenses of tintinnids, 141

5.4 Top-down control of tintinnids, 142

5.5 Importance of tintinnids as prey for the predator, 143

5.6 Tintinnids as vectors for algal toxins, 143

5.7 Key points, 144

Acknowledgments, 144

CHAPTER 6 PARASITES OF TINTINNIDS, 145

 D. Wayne Coats and Tsvetan R. Bachvaroff

6.1 Background, 146

6.2 Dinofl agellate parasites: morphology and infection cycle, 149

6.3 Molecular evolution of dinofl agellates parasitizing tintinnids, 160

6.4 Ecology of tintinnid parasites, 165

6.5 Summary and future directions, 169

6.6 Key points, 169

Acknowledgments, 170

CHAPTER 7 COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY OF TINTINNID CYSTS, 171

Takashi Kamiyama

7.1 Introduction, 172

7.2 Morphology, 173

7.3 Encystment and excystment, 176

7.4 Ecological function of cysts, 182

7.5 Key points, 184

Acknowledgments, 185

CHAPTER 8 FOSSIL TINTINNIDS, 186

Jere H. Lipps, Thorsten Stoeck and Micah Dunthorn

8.1 Introduction: a paucity of data, 187

8.2 Proterozoic tintinnids: no evidence of a beginning, 187

8.3 Paleozoic tintinnid reports: too thin to know, 191

8.4 Mesozoic tintinnids and calpionellids: same shape, different composition, 191

8.5 Cenozoic tintinnids: sparse, 192

8.6 Organic and agglutinated phanerozoic fossils: the most likely candidates, 193

8.7 Conclusions and perspectives, 195

8.8 Key points, 197

Acknowledgments, 197

CHAPTER 9 TINTINNIDS IN MICROZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES, 198

George B. McManus and Luciana F. Santoferrara

9.1 Ecology of microzooplankton, 199

9.2 Quantitative importance of tintinnids in microzooplankton assemblages, 205

9.3 Characteristics that set tintinnids apart from other microzooplankton, 211

9.4 Key points, 212

Acknowledgments, 213

CHAPTER 10 DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS OF TINTINNIDS, 214

John R. Dolan and Richard W. Pierce

10.1 Introduction, 215

10.2 Biogeography, 215

10.3 Assemblages of coastal systems, 233

10.4 Assemblages of open waters, 239

10.5 Key points, 241

Acknowledgments, 243

REFERENCES, 244

ORGANISM INDEX, 288

SUBJECT INDEX, 293

The color plate section can be found between pages 136 and 137