Explain the importance of protozoa in aquatic ecosystems an

. Explain the importance of protozoa in aquatic ecosystems and as mutualistic symbionts.

Solution

Answer :

Protozoa are animal-like chemoheterotrophs which live in soil and fresh water, they can often have symbiotic relationships with animals (such as the relationship between zooplankton and termites. Protozoa graze on the many bacteria in the plankton as well as consuming each other. The protozoa are the portion of zoo palnkton that are consumed by filter feeders like coral, barnacles, mussels, krill, sponges and jellyfish. Protozoa help control the population of bacteria as well as other protozoans by feeding on them. Controlling the population of other organisms is important in maintaining ecological balance and diversity

Protozoa are also recognized as important members of planktonic food webs. This is due to the inclusion of microbial links in our paradigm of trophic relationships. Heterotrophic microflagellates and ciliates are major grazers of bacteria. They can stimulate production through nutrient recycling and can transform microbial production into larger particles, which are then available for macroconsumers.

The role of protozoa in maintaining fertility of ecosystems and adaptive strategies for survival in varying habitats. Among the physical environmental (abiotic) factors, temperature, salinity, nutrients and levels of pollutants, when present, are major sources of influence. A complex set of interactions exists among microbial biota, including the role of nutrient regeneration during protozoan predation on bacteria resulting in release of nutrients due to digestion and disruption of the bacteria during feeding. These nutrients in turn are reutilised by algae during photosynthesis. This process of cyclical nutrient uptake by algae and subsequent release by protozoan predation is known as ‘the microbial loop’.