Suspension feeding in ciliated protozoa: Feeding rates and their ecological significance

The quantitative uptake of suspended particles has been studied in 14 species of ciliated protozoa in terms of the maximum rate of water cleared at low particle concentrations and of the maximum ingestion rate at high particle concentrations. The results, supported by data from the literature, show that ciliates which feed on larger particles (> 1–5m) compare favorably with metazoan suspension feeders with respect to the ability to concentrate dilute suspensions of particles. Species specialized on smaller food particles (0.2–1m), the size range of most bacteria in natural environments, require a higher concentration of particles. Bacterial population densities which can sustain ciliate growth are found in sediments, waters rich in organic material, and in the early successional stages of decomposing organic material. This is not the case in open waters in general where bacterivorous ciliates cannot play a role as grazers of bacteria.