Diversity of Free-Living Morphospecies in the Ciliate Genus< i> Metopus (original) (raw)
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Diversity of Free-Living Morphospecies in the Ciliate Genus Metopus
Archiv für Protistenkunde, 1995
This is a taxonomic revision of anaerobic free-living ciliates in the genus Metopus. It includes a rationalization of all nominal species described in the literature, and the allocation of the survivors to "morphospecies". The revision is based on examination of cultured species together with an exhaustive comparison of the published descriptions of nominal species. All free-living Metopus can be allocated to one of five general morphological types. Each type contains several morphospecies (and their synonyms), each with conservative features. The seventy-six nominal species of Metopus are reduced to 22 morphospecies, and M. nivaaensis n. sp. is described.
Isolation and culturing of a most common anaerobic ciliate, Metopus sp
Anaerobe, 2007
The study includes isolation of anaerobic ciliate, Metopus sp. from an anaerobic reactor and development of its monoculture under laboratory conditions. Separation by centrifugation followed by micromanipulatory isolation resulted in obtaining pure Metopus culture with less bacterial contamination. The isolated Metopus sp. had the mean dimensions of 32 Â 123 mm with the generation time of 53 h. Among the different basal media tried, the ciliate mineral medium (CMV) with 1% wheat powder suspension was the most suitable one for Metopus growth. The temperature and pH ranges, for the best growth of Metopus, were 30-35 1C and 6-7, respectively. Higher concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) such as acetate, butyrate and propionate had adverse effect on Metopus growth and prevented its growth beyond 0.05 M concentration. Maximum COD removal was in CMV medium by the growth of anaerobic Metopus sp. r
Frontiers in microbiology, 2018
Many anaerobic ciliated protozoa contain organelles of mitochondrial ancestry called hydrogenosomes. These organelles generate molecular hydrogen that is consumed by methanogenic Archaea, living in endosymbiosis within many of these ciliates. Here we describe a new species of anaerobic ciliate, n. sp., by using silver impregnation and microscopy to conduct a detailed morphometric analysis. Comparisons with previously published morphological data for this species, as well as the closely related species, , demonstrated that despite them being similar, both the mean cell size and the mean number of somatic kineties are lower for than for , which suggests that they are distinct species. This was also supported by analysis of the 18S rRNA genes from these ciliates, the sequences of which are 97.5% identical (6 substitutions, 1479 compared bases), and in phylogenetic analyses these sequences grouped with other 18S rRNA genes sequenced from previous isolates of the same respective species....
Techniques and tools for species identification in ciliates: a review
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Ciliates are highly divergent unicellular eukaryotic organisms with nuclear dualism and a highly specialized ciliary pattern. They inhabit all biotopes and play crucial roles in regulating microbial food webs as they prey on bacteria, protists and even on microscopic animals. Nevertheless, subtle morphological differences and tiny sizes hinder proper species identification for many ciliates. In the present review, an attempt has been made to elaborate the various approaches used by modern day ciliate taxonomists for species identification. The different approaches involved in taxonomic characterization of ciliates such as classical (using live-cell observations, staining techniques, etc.), molecular (involving various marker genes) and statistical (delimitation of cryptic species) methods have been reviewed. Ecological and behavioural aspects in species identification have also been discussed. In present-day taxonomy, it is important to use a ‘total evidence’ approach in identifying...
Journal of general …, 1992
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify small-subunit ribosomal DNA from the anaerobic ciliated protozoon Metopus pdaeformis, and from its uncultured endosymbiotic bacteria. This was accomplished directly from total DNA extracted from protozoa without prior isolation or enrichment for symbiont cells. The double-stranded amplification products were precipitated and directly sequenced using the linear PCR reaction. Fluorescent oligonucleotide probes were designed and used in whole-cell hybridizations to provide direct visual evidence that the sequences originated from the host ciliate and from the endosymbiont. Phylogenetic analysis of the Metopus pdaeformis sequence consistently placed it as a deep-branching lineage near the root of the ciliate tree. However, the present data were insufficient to resolve the detailed relationship between Blepharisma and Metopus and thus to determine if the heterotrichs are mono-or paraphyletic. Phylogenetic analysis of the symbiont partial sequence clearly demonstrated that it is an archaeobacterium and that it is closely related to, but distinct from, Methanobacterium formicicum.
Polymorphic bacterial symbionts in the anaerobic ciliated protozoon Metopus
FEMS Microbiology Letters, 1991
In the anaerobic ciliate Metopus palaeformis, all endosymbionts are electron dense, rod-shaped bacteria. In Metopus contortus, rod-shaped sym-biOnts co-exist with a variety of other morphological forms of the symbiont. The latter appear to represent stages in a changing morphology of the rods, a process which entails progressive stripping of the bacterial cell wall, as a prelude to attachment of the transformed symbiont to one or more hydrogensomes. In M. palaeformis, the morphology of the symbionts does not change and they do not become attached to the hydrogenosomes. All symbionts in both ciliate species show F420 autofluorescence and inhibition by bromoethanesulfomc acid, so they are all, probably, methanogens.
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016
The morphology and phylogeny of three heterotrich ciliates, Anigsteinia clarissima (Anigstein, 1912) Isquith, 1968, Blepharisma penardi sp. nov., and Blepharisma undulans Stein, 1867, were investigated based on living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequence data. The new species B. penardi sp. nov. is recognized by the following combination of characters: size about 150-180 × 45-55 μm in vivo, cell colour variable from colourless to pale pink to dark brownish; peristome extending to middle of body; 36-63 adoral membranelles; 24-34 somatic kineties; single macronucleus; cortical granules tiny and colourless; freshwater habitat. Anigsteinia clarissima and B. undulans are both reported from China for the first time and are redescribed based on a combination of previous descriptions and new data from the Chinese populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequence data show that B. penardi sp. nov. and B. undulans are both located within a clade comprising only congeners, thus supporting the monophyly of the genus Blepharisma. Anigsteinia clarissima clusters with its only congener forming a clade that is sister to the Spirostomum assemblage. Both the morphological and the molecular data support the placement of Anigsteinia in the family Spirostomidae.
Biodiversity at the Microbial Level: The Number of Free-Living Ciliates in the Biosphere
The Quarterly Review of Biology, 1996
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Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016
The morphology and phylogeny of three heterotrich ciliates, Anigsteinia clarissima (Anigstein, 1912) Isquith, 1968, Blepharisma penardi sp. nov., and Blepharisma undulans Stein, 1867, were investigated based on living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequence data. The new species B. penardi sp. nov. is recognized by the following combination of characters: size about 150-180 × 45-55 μm in vivo, cell colour variable from colourless to pale pink to dark brownish; peristome extending to middle of body; 36-63 adoral membranelles; 24-34 somatic kineties; single macronucleus; cortical granules tiny and colourless; freshwater habitat. Anigsteinia clarissima and B. undulans are both reported from China for the first time and are redescribed based on a combination of previous descriptions and new data from the Chinese populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequence data show that B. penardi sp. nov. and B. undulans are both located within a clade comprising only congeners, thus supporting the monophyly of the genus Blepharisma. Anigsteinia clarissima clusters with its only congener forming a clade that is sister to the Spirostomum assemblage. Both the morphological and the molecular data support the placement of Anigsteinia in the family Spirostomidae.
Background: Heterotrichous ciliates are common members of microeukaryote communities which play important roles in both the transfer of material and the flow of energy in aquatic food webs. This group has been known for over two centuries due to their large body size and cosmopolitan distribution. Nevertheless, species identification and phylogenetic relationships of heterotrichs remain challenging due to the lack of accurate morphological information and insufficient molecular data.Results: The morphology and phylogeny of two heterotrichous ciliates, namely Gruberia foissneri spec. nov. and Linostomella vorticella (Ehrenberg, 1833) Aescht in Foissner et al., 1999, were studied using rigorous methods (living morphology, stained preparations, and small subunit rDNA sequence data). Gruberia foissneri spec. nov. is morphologically very similar to G. uninucleata Kahl, 1932, however, it can be distinguished from the latter by having more ciliary rows (about 32 vs. about 20) and macronucl...