MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE MICROALGAL COMPONENT OF TERRA NOVA BAY (ANTARCTICA) BY LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

In this thesis a morphological investigation on the phytoplanktonic community of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) was conducted, with both light and electron microscopy, on samples collected from the desalination filters of the Italian research station “Mario Zucchelli” during the period between the 8th November 2018 and the 20th January 2019. The aim of this study, part of a larger research project called “TNB-CODE – Barcoding e metabarcoding di organismi antarctici marini, terrestri e limmetici” was to both provide data to support the future molecular analyses on Terra Nova Bay’s microalgal component and to obtain a clear picture of the phytoplanktonic biodiversity in this area for the first time in more than 20 years. The results obtained show that the diatom community remained almost the same in both species diversity and richness, except for two species of the genus Licmophora previously unreported in Terra Nova Bay, while the number of dinoflagellate taxa found was significantly lower than what was previously reported. With SEM analyses, a detailed photographic record of the observed microalgal species was created, and the data reported in this work will act as a basis for future phytoplankton studies in Terra Nova Bay and Antarctic waters in general.