Morphometric forms, biovolume and cellular carbon content of dinoflagellates from polluted waters on the Karachi coast, Pakistan

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">Present study reports new information on the biovolume and carbon biomass estimates for dinoflagellates from Manora Channel, Karachi coast, Pakistan. Biovolume per cell was calculated using the geometric shape of dinoflagellates at species level. Both thecate and athecate species were examined under light and scanning electron microscope. A total of 45 species were measured and their cell size was ranged between 20-450<span class="blackclasscontextmenu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">µm.<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US"> Geometric forms of the species were seven classed into as ellipsoidal, spherical, double cone shape, prolate sphere, cone and half sphere, “cone+3 cylinder” shape, “ellipsoidal + 2 cone+ cylinder” shape, “cylinder+ cone” shaped. Total biovolume ranged from 3.743 <span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">×<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">10³to <span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">2.2 <span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:arial;="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">×<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">10⁵ µm³cell^-1 and estimated cellular carbon content per cell ranged from 397 × 10²to 26.5 x 10⁴ pg C cell^-1. Carbon and biovolume relationship was significant for thecate species which can thus be used for carbon flux studies. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>