Note: Intro -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Contributors -- Chapter 1: Introduction to Tintinnids -- 1.1 Why A Book on Tintinnid Ciliates? -- 1.2 What Is A Tintinnid Ciliate? -- 1.3 The Lorica As the Defining Characteristic of Tintinnid Ciliates -- 1.4 History of Tintinnid Studies -- 1.5 Tintinnids As Model Organisms for Marine Plankton -- 1.6 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 2: The Tintinnid Lorica -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Diversity, Formation, and Variability of Loricae -- Diversity of loricae -- General aspects of lorica formation -- Lorica material -- Role of the somatic cilia -- Lorica phenotypes formed during the cell cycle -- Variability of loricae during the cell cycle in hyaline species -- Formation of hard, agglomerated loricae -- Soft, agglomerated loricae -- Problems of lorica typological taxa -- 2.3 Ultrastructure of Loricae -- 2.4 Chemical Composition of Loricae -- History of chemical studies -- Cytochemical stains and enzymatic experiments -- 2.5 Lorica Sedimentation -- 2.6 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 3: Systematics and Evolution of Tintinnid Ciliates -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 History of Tintinnid Taxonomy and Systematics -- The beginning -- The introduction of staining techniques -- The era of electron microscopy -- Cladistic analysis -- Gene sequence analysis -- Species descriptions and redescriptions -- Monographs and identification keys -- 3.3 Evolution of Tintinnids -- Kinetal maps -- The ancestor of the stichotrichs, halteriids, oligotrichids, and choreotrichids -- The ancestor of the halteriids, oligotrichids, and choreotrichids -- The ancestor of the oligotrichids and choreotrichids -- The ancestor of the choreotrichids -- The early evolution within the tintinnids -- Freshwater species -- Marine species -- The capsule types -- The lorica sac -- Cladistic analysis -- Conclusions. , 3.4 How to Read the Tintinnid Cladogram -- 3.5 Molecular Analysis and Comparison with Morphologic Data -- Gene sequence analysis in general -- Data acquisition -- SSU rRNA phylogenies -- Comparison of SSU rRNA phylogenies and cladograms with former hypothesis -- 3.6 Systematics -- Recent changes in the classification -- Additional changes -- 3.7 Comparison with the Evolution of Related Planktonic Ciliates: The Aloricate Choreotrichids, Oligotrichids, and Halteriids -- The planktonic life style -- The somatic ciliature -- Resting cysts -- The halteriids, an enigmatic ciliate group -- Gene sequence analyses -- 3.8 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 4: Ecophysiology and Behavior of Tintinnids -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Feeding -- An overview of tintinnid feeding -- Functional response -- Size selectivity -- Selectivity other than size -- 4.3 Growth -- An overview of tintinnid growth -- Population growth -- Numerical response -- Scaling tintinnid maximum growth rate to size -- Cell size, number, and growth rate -- Gross growth and assimilation efficiency -- 4.4 Swimming Behavior -- The basics of swimming -- An assessment of swimming motion -- Changes in swimming behavior -- Swimming synthesis -- 4.5 Response to Abiotic Factors and Interactions with Biotic Factors -- Temperature -- Other abiotic factors -- 4.6 Tintinnids as Models and in Models -- General models -- Favella -- Incorporation of tintinnids into models -- 4.7 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 5: Predators of Tintinnids -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Predators of Tintinnids -- Other protists -- Copepods -- Euphausiids and other large crustacean zooplankton -- Gelatinous zooplankton including cnidarians, ctenophores, chaetognaths, pteropods and pelagic tunicates -- Other holoplankton -- Ichthyoplankton -- Larvae and adults of benthic invertebrates. , 5.3 Anti-Predator Defenses of Tintinnids -- 5.4 Top-down Control of Tintinnids -- 5.5 Importance of Tintinnids as Prey for the Predator -- 5.6 Tintinnids as Vectors for Algal Toxins -- 5.7 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 6: Parasites of Tintinnids -- 6.1 Background -- Heterotrophic symbionts of ciliates -- Discovery of tintinnid parasites -- 6.2 Dinoflagellate Parasites: Morphology and Infection Cycle -- Syndinean parasites -- Dinophycean parasites -- Sexuality -- Key to the dinoflagellate parasites of tintinnids -- 6.3 Molecular Evolution of Dinoflagellates Parasitizing Tintinnids -- Placement of tintinnid parasites within the dinoflagellates -- Dinokaryote parasites of tintinnids -- Syndinean parasites of tintinnids -- 6.4 Ecology of Tintinnid Parasites -- Distribution, seasonality, and host range -- Parasite prevalence and impact on host populations -- 6.5 Summary and Future Directions -- 6.6 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 7: Comparative Biology of Tintinnid Cysts -- 7.1 Introduction -- What is a cyst? -- Historical overview of tintinnid and aloricate ciliate cysts -- 7.2 Morphology -- Characteristics of tintinnid cysts observed in seawater samples -- Characteristics of oligotrich and dinoflagellate cysts -- 7.3 Encystment and Excystment -- Encystment -- Factors inducing encystment -- Factors inducing excystment -- 7.4 Ecological Function of Cysts -- Distribution of tintinnid cysts in coastal sediments -- Influence of excystment and encystment on population dynamics -- 7.5 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 8: Fossil Tintinnids -- 8.1 Introduction: A Paucity of Data -- 8.2 Proterozoic Tintinnids: No Evidence of a Beginning -- 8.3 Paleozoic Tintinnid Reports: Too Thin to Know -- 8.4 Mesozoic Tintinnids and Calpionellids: Same Shape, Different Composition -- 8.5 Cenozoic Tintinnids: Sparse. , 8.6 Organic and Agglutinated Phanerozoic Fossils: The Most Likely Candidates -- 8.7 Conclusions and Perspectives -- 8.8 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 9: Tintinnids in Microzooplankton Communities -- 9.1 Ecology of Microzooplankton -- Microzooplankton as a functional trophic category -- Composition of microzooplankton assemblages -- Grazing impact of microzooplankton -- Nutrient regeneration by microzooplankton -- Microzooplankton as food for higher trophic levels -- 9.2 Quantitative Importance of Tintinnids in Microzooplankton Assemblages -- Abundance and biomass -- Grazing -- Tintinnids as prey for other zooplankton -- In situ growth -- 9.3 Characteristics That Set Tintinnids Apart from Other Microzooplankton -- The lorica -- Obligate planktonic habitat -- Strict heterotrophy? -- 9.4 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 10: Diversity and Distributions of Tintinnids -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Biogeography -- Global biogeography -- Distribution-abundance relationships -- Latitudinal diversity gradient -- 10.3 Assemblages of Coastal Systems -- Seasonal changes in species richness -- Seasonal changes in morphotypes -- 10.4 Assemblages of Open Waters -- 10.5 Key Points -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Organism Index -- Subject Index -- Supplemental Images.