This study is one of the few studies of spatio-temporal diversity and abundance of protists in caves. Seasonality in the studied habitats is attributed to the hydro-meteorological conditions in the Veternica cave drainage area. Kendall’s concordance coefficient showed a good synchronicity between the habitats in the Veternica cave, based on taxon richness and abundance of protists indicating similar seasonal trends. Habitat heterogeneity could be attributed to the presence of inorganic and organic sediments at the sites and habitat microhydrology (lotic or lentic system). The most distinctive habitat was the hygropetric. The prospected habitats supported different protist assemblages, proved by ordination analysis. The number of taxa and their abundance differed significantly between the sampling sites. Most diverse were testate amoebae and ciliates. The highest taxon richness was found at the sinter pool site richest in bats guano (36 taxa). During this study, 47 protists taxa were distinguished belonging to the groups of heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates, heliozoans, stramenopiles and testate and naked amoebae. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity and abundance of protists in the Veternica cave in the Medvednica mountain in Croatia on hygropetric and sinter and clay pools during six months. Most cave studies address the diversity of protists, but very little is known about their habitats and spatio-temporal dynamics. Protists in caves are scarcely researched. The findings of our study suggest that in regional studies of soil microbial eukaryotes both micro- (i.e., under-crown) and mesoscale (i.e., the slope position) heterogeneity should be considered. None of later factors were sufficient in shaping TA assemblage composition. The distribution of TA was mostly driven by under-crown and hillside positions but not by elementary environmental conditions such as pH, moisture content and thickness of leaf litter layer. Foot of the hills harbored higher TA abundance and diversity comparing with upper locations along the hillslopes. TA assemblages were the most diverse and abundant in the center of the tree crown comparing with other under-tree habitats. Forty-two species of TA belonging to 18 genera were identified in 81 samples. In this study, we examined species composition, diversity, and structure of TA assemblages in soils beneath tree crowns (microscale) at three slope positions (mesoscale) in subtropical urban parks in Shenzhen, China. Testate amoebae (TA) are important components of soil ecosystems, where they play an essential role in belowground food webs. This illustrates the need for a more systematic sampling effort to document the full and mostly unknown taxonomic diversity of soil protists. However, this perception may be due to a sampling bias in favour of Sphagnum mosses and wet and organic-rich habitats. The presence of this new species in two rather distant regions – Caribbean and central Chile – suggests it is likely widespread, but possibly rare. larai strongly suggests a belonging to genus Certesella, molecular analyses are still required to confirm its phylogenetic position, clarify the relationships among all species in genera Porosia and Certesella and the definition and validity of these two genera. Interestingly most specimens lacked the internal teeth which are usually present in members of genus Certesella. certesi, which is distinguishable by the presence of a distinct longitudinal groove in the neck region that is absent from the new species. Its elongated shape (length/breadth ratio 2.03–2.58) only overlaps with C. The new species fits best in the latter genus given the presence of a distinct, sometimes denticulated, neck with a bulge that is absent in genus Porosia but occurs in Certesella. This species bears two large pores connected by tube, which are characteristic of the genera Porosia and Certesella. We name this species Certesella larai to honour our esteemed colleague Enrique Lara. Here we describe a new species of genus Certesella from Sphagnum mosses and forest litter samples collected in the Dominican Republic and Chile. Among testate amoebae, the Hyalospheniformes are especially well documented and are a model group for microbial biogeography. Testate amoebae are a relatively well studied group or free-living protists that build morphologically characteristic shells on which the taxonomy of this group is mainly based. Microbial diversity is known to be huge but remains only partly documented.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |