A Case Building Ciliate in the Genus Pseudoblepharisma Found in Subtropical Fresh Water

The genus Pseudoblepharisma is currently comprised of only one species, P. tenue, and one variant, P. tenue var. viride, both described as free-living ciliates thriving in oxygen depleted freshwater habitats of Europe. Here we report on this genus being discovered from subtropical freshwaters of Flo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity (Basel) 2022-03, Vol.14 (3), p.174
Main Authors: Hines, Hunter N., McCarthy, Peter J., Esteban, Genoveva F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Aquatic habitats
Aquatic plants
Bacteria
Biogeography
ciliate
Ciliates
cryptic biodiversity
ecology
Fresh water
freshwater
Freshwater environments
Habitats
Metadata
microbiology
Microorganisms
Microscopy
Ponds
rRNA 18S
Salinity
Sampling
Sediments
Species
State parks
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Summary:The genus Pseudoblepharisma is currently comprised of only one species, P. tenue, and one variant, P. tenue var. viride, both described as free-living ciliates thriving in oxygen depleted freshwater habitats of Europe. Here we report on this genus being discovered from subtropical freshwaters of Florida, USA. The Florida strain diverges from the P. tenue by being much larger, as well as having a far higher density of intracellular symbiotic green algae, resembling P. tenue var. viride. Unlike its European counterparts, the North American strain was observed to build a lorica, likely useful for protection and feeding; this has not been previously described for this genus. In contrast to P. tenue, the Florida strain does not have endosymbiotic purple bacteria. Despite large distances between sampling zones, the species is a close match at a morphological level to Pseudoblepharisma tenue var. viride. We provide the first 18S rRNA gene sequence for this species, allowing future investigations into the biogeography of this genus. As intensive sampling efforts continue to increase, cryptic microbial species will continue to be recorded from diverse freshwater habitats at a global scale.
ISSN:1424-2818
1424-2818
DOI:10.3390/d14030174