Spatial distribution of aloricate ciliates in the stratified water of the Cosmonaut and Cooperation Seas in the Southern Ocean

Aloricate ciliates are the main component of microzooplankton.They play important roles in the circulation of materials and flow of energy in marine pelagic ecosystems.To determine the distribution pattern and structure of the aloricate ciliate community in vertically stratified waters of the Southern Ocean,we collected data on aloricate ciliates in the Cosmonaut and Cooperation Seas during the 36th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition.The ranges of aloricate ciliate abundance and biomass were 5-3097 ind·L^(-1)and 0.01-11.40μg C·L^(-1),respectively.Vertically,the average abundance of aloricate ciliates decreased from the surface to 200 m,while biomass was highest in the 50-m layer.The importance of aloricate ciliates<20μm increased along the depth gradient.Their contribution to total abundance increased from 13.04%in the surface layer to 73.71% in the 200-m layer.This is the first study to explore the distribution characteristics of the aloricate ciliate community in a stratified water column of the Southern Ocean.Our results will be helpful for understanding the variation in the pelagic community in waters of the Southern Ocean with intensified stratification.