Ref ID : 7689
Jean-Claude Esteve; [Defaillances de Controle du Comportement Alimentaire chez les Cilies Gymnostomes Dileptus et Lacrymaria]. Protistologica XVIII(4):517-526, 1982
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The study of the feeding behaviour of Gymnostomes Ciliates: Dileptus sp., D. visscheri and Lacrymaria olor, showed the possibility of existence of at least two control levels: the toxicysts whose discharge is necessary for capture and the cytostome whose opening allows the ciliate to eat. The toxicyst discharge showed poor specificity since all ciliated organisms and the Flagellate Chilomonas paramecium were inductors. However conspecific ciliates were not targets except for D. sp. who the practice cannibalism in an exhausted medium or against conspecifics treated by proteolytic enzymes, especially trypsin. The cytostome level of control was more complex as there were interferencies with general chemosensibility; active substances are inductors or inhibitors, especially pigments in some preys. This control system probably allows these predators not to ingest nocious material in natural habitat; in the laboratory a highy toxic diet was found, Lacrymaria elegans which, unlike L. olor was probably devoid of inhibitors.