The genus Tetrahymena (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea) probably represents the best studied ciliate genus. At present, more than forty species have been described. All are colorless, i.e. they do not harbor symbiotic algae, and as aerobes they need at least microaerobic habitats. Here, we present the morphological and molecular description of the first green representative, Tetrahymena utriculariae n. sp., living in symbiosis with endosymbiotic algae identified as Micractinium sp. (Chlorophyta). The full life cycle of the ciliate species is documented, including trophonts and theronts, conjugating cells, resting cysts and dividers. This species has been discovered in an exotic habitat, namely in traps of the carnivorous aquatic plant Utricularia reflexa (originating from Okavango Delta, Botswana). Green ciliates live as commensals of the plant in this anoxic habitat. Ciliates are bacterivorous, however, symbiosis with algae is needed to satisfy cell metabolism but also to gain oxygen from symbionts. When ciliates are cultivated outside their natural habitat under aerobic conditions and fed with saturating bacterial food, they gradually become aposymbiotic. Based on phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA and mitochondrial cox1 genes T. utriculariae forms a sister group to Tetrahymena thermophila.

Biology Centre CAS Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic

Institute for Zoology General Ecology Biocenter University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany

Institute of Botany CAS Section of Plant Ecology Třeboň 379 82 Czech Republic

Limnological Station Department of Plant and Microbial Biology University of Zurich Kilchberg 8802 Switzerland

J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2017 Nov;64(6):903. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12432. PubMed

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

Genomic Signatures of Adaptation to Stress Reveal Shared Evolutionary Trends Between Tetrahymena utriculariae and Its Algal Endosymbiont, Micractinium tetrahymenae

Hunters or farmers? Microbiome characteristics help elucidate the diet composition in an aquatic carnivorous plant

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LT605001, LT605003, KJ690571, FM205841, FM946015, FM946000, LT605002, GU439297, EF070291, JX889639, FM205875, FM205879, FM205880, FM205884, HG710169, HE820726, M26360, EF070310, M10932