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Apical Feeding in the Karyorelictids (Protozoa, Ciliophora) Sultanophrys arabica and Tracheloraphis sp.
Author(s) -
ALRASHEID KHALED A. S.,
FOISSNER WILHELM
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1999.tb06061.x
Subject(s) - biology , protozoa , algae , botany , omnivore , ecology , predation
Sultanophrys arabica and Tracheloraphis sp., two interstitial karyorelictid ciliates, were cultivated in sealed 100–200 ml glass bottles half‐filled with filtered interstitial water to which some millilitres of the natural organism community and a couple of wheat grains were added. Removing sand grains and sealing the bottles were crucial to achieve a low oxygen tension milieu, which was maintained by the algae contained in the community. This cultivation method provided, for the first time, rich cultures with many feeding, dividing, and conjugating cells. Both species were omnivorous and fed through the apical end, where a well‐developed oral apparatus is present. Apical feeding was documented by micrographs of living specimens and by scanning electron microscopy of preserved cells.