Introduction 7
Acknowledgements 7
The diversity of phytoplankton and its classification 8
General taxonomic comments 8
1. Diatoms 9
Centric diatoms 10
Pennate diatoms 13
2. Dinoflagellates 17
3. Other planktonic organisms 22
Notes on methodology 23
Ecological aspects concerning phytoplankton 25
Nutrient supply 25
Types of nutrition 26
Factors influencing photosynthesis 27
Food webs 27
Annual succession of Phytoplankton 28
‘Harmful algal blooms’ 29
Alien species 30
How to use this book 31
Legends for page headers 31
Centric Diatoms 32
Bacteriastrum hyalinum 32
Chaetoceros danicus 33
Chaetoceros borealis 34
Chaetoceros densus 35
Chaetoceros eibenii 36
Chaetoceros cf. compressus 37
Chaetoceros lauderi 38
Chaetoceros didymus 39
Chaetoceros decipiens 40
Chaetoceros curvisetus 41
Chaetoceros debilis 42
Chaetoceros diadema 43
Chaetoceros socialis 44
Chaetoceros subtilis 45
Coscinodiscus asteromphalus 46
Coscinodiscus concinnus 47
Coscinodiscus granii 48
Coscinodiscus radiatus 49
Coscinodiscus wailesii 50
Actinoptychus senarius 51
Actinocyclus octonarius 52
Podosira stelligera 53
Melosira moniliformis 54
Stephanopyxis turris 55
Paralia sulcata 56
Lauderia annulata 57
Detonula confervacea 58
Detonula pumila 59
Skeletonema 60
Porosira glacialis 61
Thalassiosira angulata 62
Thalassiosira anguste-lineata 63
Thalassiosira eccentrica 64
Thalassiosira hendeyi 65
Thalassiosira minima 66
Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii 67
Thalassiosira punctigera 68
Thalassiosira constricta 69
Thalassiosira rotula 70
Dactyliosolen fragilissimus 71
Guinardia delicatula 72
Guinardia striata 73
Guinardia flaccida 74
Proboscia alata 75
Rhizosolenia imbricata 76
Rhizosolenia styliformis 77
Rhizosolenia hebetata f. semispina 78
Rhizosolenia setigera 79
Neocalyptrella robusta 80
Leptocylindrus danicus 81
Leptocylindrus minimus 82
Brockmanniella brockmannii 83
Plagiogrammopsis vanheurckii 84
Cerataulina pelagica 85
Eucampia zodiacus 86
Ditylum brightwellii 87
Helicotheca tamesis 88
Lithodesmium undulatum 89
Bellerochea malleus 90
Mediopyxis helysia 91
Biddulphia alternans 92
Odontella sinensis 93
Odontella mobiliensis 94
Odontella regia 95
Odontella rhombus 96
Odontella aurita 97
Triceratium favus 99
Bacillaria paxillifer 99
Cylindrotheca closterium 100
Pseudo-nitzschia pungens 101
Pseudo-nitzschia seriata 102
Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima 103
Meuniera membranacea 104
Pleurosigma/Gyrosigma 105
Asterionellopsis glacialis 106
Asteroplanus karianus 107
Striatella unipunctata 108
Delphineis surirella 109
Rhaphoneis amphiceros 110
Thalassionema nitzschioides 111
Other diatom species occasionally occurring in the German Bight 112
Dinoflagellates 114
Akashiwo sanguinea 114
Amphidinium carterae 115
Lepidodinium chlorophorum 116
Gyrodinium spirale 117
Gyrodinium undulans 118
Sclerodinium calyptoglyphe 119
Karenia mikimotoi 120
Katodinium glaucum 121
Polykrikos schwartzii 122
Nematodinium armatum 123
Torodinium robustum 124
Noctiluca scintillans 125
Dinophysis acuta 126
Dinophysis norvegica 127
Dinophysis acuminata 128
Phalacroma rotundatum 129
Mesoporos perforatus 130
Prorocentrum micans 131
Prorocentrum minimum 132
Prorocentrum triestinum 133
Ceratium furca 134
Ceratium fusus 135
Ceratium horridum 136
Ceratium lineatum 137
Ceratium macroceros 138
Ceratium tripos 139
Peridiniella danica 140
Gonyaulax spinifera 141
Alexandrium tamarense 142
Alexandrium minutum 143
Alexandrium ostenfeldii 144
Protoceratium reticulatum 145
Heterocapsa rotundata 146
Heterocapsa triquetra 147
Diplopsalis lenticula 148
Oblea rotunda 149
Preperidinium meunieri 150
Protoperidinium 151
Protoperidinium claudicans 152
Protoperidinium depressum 153
Protoperidinium pentagonum 154
Protoperidinium divergens 155
Protoperidinium conicum 156
Protoperidinium obtusum 157
Protoperidinium ovatum 158
Protoperidinium pallidum 159
Protoperidinium pellucidum 160
Protoperidinium subinerme 161
Protoperidinium pyriforme 162
Protoperidinium steinii 163
Protoperidinium bipes 164
Protoperidinium brevipes 165
Protoperidinium denticulatum 166
Protoperidinium thorianum 167
Protoperidinium minutum 168
Scrippsiella cf. trochoidea 169
Dissodinium 170
Pyrophacus horologium 171
Fragilidium subglobosum 172
Marine Flagellates 173
Chrysochromulina sp. 173
Prymnesium sp. 174
Emiliania huxleyi 174
Phaeocystis sp. 174
Phaeocystis globosa 174
Phaeocystis pouchetii 175
Chattonella sp. B. 175
Fibrocapsa japonica 176
Cryptomonas sp. C. 176
Leucocryptos marina 176
Hemiselmis sp. 177
Rhodomonas sp. 177
Teleaulax sp. 177
Eutreptiella sp. 178
Tetraselmis sp. 178
Pyramimonas sp. 179
Dictyocha speculum 179
Dictyocha fibula 180
Ciliates 181
Laboea strobila 181
Myrionecta rubra 181
Lohmanniella oviformis 181
Tiarina fusus 181
Glossary 182
General phytoplankton references 189
Taxonomic references 189
Web resources 197
Index of Taxa 198

Dr. Alexandra Kraberg has worked with phytoplankton for over 12 years, including time as a phytoplankton analyst for long-term monitoring programmes in Ireland and the UK. After receiving her PhD from the University of Liverpool in 2002, she moved to the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Science, where she has worked on a range of phytoplankton projects, e. g., dealing with intraspecific diversity in diatoms. Since 2004 she is the co-ordinator of the international PLANKTON*NET database system (http://planktonnet.awi.de). She is also a member of the ICES working group on phytoplankton and microbial ecology.

Dr. Claus-Dieter Dürselen received his PhD from the University of Oldenburg in 1995. While at Olden­burg as a post doc, Dr. Dürselen worked as a phytoplankton expert in different national and international research projects. Together with a former research colleague, he founded the environmental company AquaEcology in 2002. Dr. Dürselen is a plankton consultant to the regional and local water authorities of Northern Germany.

Prof. Dr. Marcus Baumann has studied phytoplankton of the North Sea and the polar regions, both the Arctic and the Antarctic for more than 30 years. After two years as a researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute he became head of the environmental services department at the FH Aachen, University of Applied Sciences, before receiving a professorship in biotechnology. Currently he is the rector at the FH Aachen.