Monoraph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), a treatise dealing with a major group of limnetic protists

Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), a treatise dealing with a major group of limnetic protistsBERGER HelmutConsulting Engineering Office for Ecology5020 Salzburg, Austriawww.protozoology.comSupported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): Project P-23415-B17SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013Hypotrichs are spirotrichous ciliates and the sister-group of the mainly pelagic oligotrichsBerger H, Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), Poster 24 SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013euplotids (Euplotes, Aspidisca)oligotrichs (e.g., Tintinnidium, Strobilidium)hypotrichs (e.g., Stylonychia, Oxytricha, Urostyla)spirotrichous ciliates

Aspidisca

Strobilidium

OxytrichaMain morphological features of hypotrichous ciliatesBerger H, Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), Poster 24 SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013Body length 50800 m, most species around 80200 mBody usually flattened dorsoventrallyProminent oral apparatus (adoral zone of membranelles and 2 undulating membranes)Cirri (bundles of cilia) on ventral sideBristles rows on dorsal side2 or more macronuclear nodulesContractile vacuole on left cell margin

From Weisse, Moser, Scheffel, Stadler, Berendonk, Weithoff & Berger (2013) contractile vacuoleNote: many new species are permanently discovered, for example, Oxytricha acidotolerans in an acid mining lake in Lower Austria3Biology and ecology of hypotrichsBerger H, Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), Poster 24 SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013Asexual reproduction is, as in most other ciliates, by transverse division

Most limnetic species are benthic, few pelagicSome species form a lorica, and some have symbiotic algae

StichotrichaAbout 800 valid species of hypotrichs are known at present, about 300 of them occur in freshwater; the remaining species inhabit the sea and terrestrial habitatsHypotrichs are present in almost all non-pelagic samples from lakes, ponds, running waters; they also occur in highly saline waters (cladotrichids) and sewage treatment plants (rare)Hypotrichs feed on bacteria, flagellates, algae, ciliates, and sometimes on small metazoans (e.g., rotifers) Berger H, Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), Poster 24 SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013

The Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora)Volumes 14 already available; vols 5 and 6 appear in 2014; published by Springer in Monographiae Biologicae

Interesting features for limnologists and ecologistsUnified descriptions of speciesEasy to use keys to all speciesVery detailed ecology section, including all published records and data on generation time, biomass, food, etcTwo-sided systematic index (e.g., Holosticha pullaster and pullaster, Holosticha)AcknowledgementsBerger H, Monograph of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora), Poster 24 The Monograph of the Hypotricha was and is supported by: Austrian Science Fund (FWF)Project P-14778-B06Project P-20569-B17Project P-23415-B17Austrian Academy of SciencesAPART, Project 10940SpringerWilhelm Foissner, University of Salzburg, Austria

SIL, XXXII Congress Budapest, 4-9 August 2013

For more information, see Poster 24 and exhibits (please dont take away )