Antarctic Marine Protists. Edited by Fiona J. Scott and Harvey J. Marchant. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study, 2005. 563 pp. AUS $95.00. ISBN 0-642-56835-9.
The stated aim of this book is to “… provide an illustrated description for each formally described species of Antarctic marine protist.” Over 500 species are described and illustrated with over 1300 light and electron micrographs and drawings. Each description includes detailed morphology, distribution, and references. The practice of illustrating every species sets this book apart from other guides like The Illustrated Guide to the Protozoa, second edition (edited by John J Lee, Gordon F. Leedale, and Phyllis Bradbury; Society of Protozoologists, 2000). The pictures are large enough to be useful in identification work. The book was originally conceived as an in-house handbook for the editors' studies on phytoplankton, but fortunately they were encouraged to broaden that concept. The editors must be incredibly knowledgeable and hard-working; they are authors or co-authors of 13 of 15 chapters in the book.
Of the book's nearly 600 pages, one-third is required for diatoms and another fifth for ciliates. The book has a helpful glossary and a wonderful bibliography with over a thousand entries, worth the price by itself.
The title is misleading. The book is not about marine protists; it is about pelagic protists, those that are captured by filtering seawater. Benthic protists are not represented in this book even though many benthic organisms become pelagic during part of their life cycle or because of physical disruption. In this regard, it seems odd to have a book about marine protists that includes only one foraminiferan, especially since they are so important in the ecology of Antarctic coasts.
But why “protist” anyway? The term is used today to refer non-specifically to single-celled eukaryotes, but it no longer has a place in the evolutionary tree of life—the organisms we call “protists” belong to all eight families of eukaryotes in the current family tree. And the editors include Synechoccus, a cyanobacterium, which is a prokaryote and not a protist in any classification. So why not at least include all marine protists?
In many ways, I am the intended consumer of this book. For the past year I have been identifying organisms found in Antarctic near-shore waters as part of a larger study of the benthos using a cabled observatory. This has not been easy because I am not a specialist and there is no single source of information for identifying Antarctic organisms. I have had to work from general texts, papers on specific organisms, and web sites that have identifying pictures. I really need a field guide to Antarctic marine organisms, but this book is not that.
Allow me to illustrate my problem. At our study site, there suddenly appeared some strange, dark green, spiky, hemispherical organisms, 200 μm in diameter. I searched to figure out what they might be, but could not find descriptions or pictures of these organisms. They are not to be found in this book either, because they turn out to be sponges, and sponges are clearly not protists. Nonetheless, they are small organisms found in Antarctic waters, and though mostly benthic, at least some of their life is obviously pelagic and in any case I had to identify them.
The next problem is the normal practice of illustrating species by family. There are no Peterson-Guide-like illustrations to guide a non-expert to the right family. More problematic is uneven acknowledgment of the limits of the known. Again, let me give an example. The Haptophyta are divided into two chapters (with different authors): the Prymnesiales and the Coccolithophorales. When I received the book I turned first to the latter hoping both to identify the coccolithophores found at our site and to see beautiful pictures. In particular, I wanted to identify the spectacular coccolithophores of genus Umbelloshphaera that have trumpet-shaped scales. The book has only one SEM micrograph of an umbelloshphaeran, from the EMIDAS web site, and it is different than the ones at our research site. The authors state of coccolithophores, “Until recently, many species remained undiscovered owing to their small size and delicate structure.” Indeed, many remain. On the other hand, in the other chapter, the description of Phaeocystis antarctica (sometimes the most abundant pelagic phytoplankton species) includes helpful discussion about unknowns about its life cycle and morphology. These authors acknowledge the unknown: “… a number of Chrysochromulina-like scales are included here to alert readers to possible new taxa.”
Finally, I have concerns about the production of the book. This is a reference tool that will be thumbed through. I worry about the binding; my copy is already showing wear. And though it does not affect the book's usefulness for identification purposes, the printing of many micrographs could have been better. The contrast is weak, and the black background is gray. What should be spectacular pictures of beautiful organisms come off looking dull. Nonetheless, I caution buyers against letting their copy fall into the hands of the theocrats of “Intelligent Design.” The diatoms and dinoflagellates look very machined.
It seems churlish to criticize such a useful book. I am in awe of the authors' accomplishments; on my own I have been able to identify only a few dozen organisms. For investigators trying to identify pelagic Antarctic protists, it is indispensable. But, like so much of Antarctic science, after considerable effort, this book is still only a glimpse into the unknown.
