Ref ID : 662
Wilhelm Foissner; [Ecology and taxonomy of the hypotrichida (Protozoa: Ciliophora) of some Austrian soil]. Arch.Protistenk 126:19-143, 1982
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The terrestrial Hypotrichida were investigated at 15 alpine sample plots (SO) in the Austrian Central Alps and at 7 lowland SO in the Tullnerfeld near Vienna. 40 species were found, 23 of them in the Alps and 30 in the Tullnerfeld. On the average, the alpine SO showed a significantly lower species number then those in the Tullnerfeld. Only Gonostomum affine occurred at all SO. 19 of the 40 species were found at 1-2 SO only. The comparatively low species identity between the alpine SO and the lowland SO refers to the possibility that the Hypotrichida are especially well stuited for the characterization of edaphic ciliate communities. The abundance was estimated by the culture method of Buitkamp (1979). 0-914,000 individuals/1,000 g dry weight were found in the 0-5 cm soil layer. Within the edaphic ciliate communities the Hypotrichida are slightly over- representated in species number and strongly under representated in abundance, mainly in favour of the Colpodida. Most terrestrial Hypotrichida are well adapted to the porous structure of their environment by special morphological features, e.g. slender, worm-like form of the body, pronounced flexibility, strongly marked dorso-ventral flattening and reduction of the ciliature of the ventral side. The morphology, the infraciliature, and the silverline system of these 40 species were described according to protargol and silver nitrate preparations. Most species were biometrically characterized with the aid of about 15-20 characteristics. The evaluation of all biometrical data showed average coefficients of variation (Vr) between 0.0 and 2.80 for the number of buccal cirri (monociliate species), dorsal kineties, frontal cirri and macronucleus-fragments (binucleate species). Thus, these features are largely constant and of great importance for species diagnoses, especially the number of the dorsal kineties. Comparatively low Vr between 7.27 and 11.28 were calculated for the following features: number of adoral membranelles, length of the adoral zone of membranelles, number of cirri of the right marginal row, width of the micronucleus, number of cirri of the left marginal row, length of the macronucleus. These characteristics are very important for alpha-taxonomy too, because of their small variability and uniformity. 12 other features showed fairly high Vr between 11.45 and 20.40. The number of buccal cirri and macronucleus-fragments give a good example for the phylogenetic rule of reduction in number of similar structures and the standardization of the number of structures combined therewith: the Vr of these structures were very much higher in the polyciliate and polynucleate species than in the monociliate and binucleate species. The following new taxa were discovered: Eugelmanniella nov. gen., Amphisiella acuta nov. spec., Eschaneustyla terricola nov. spec., Euplotes finki nov. spec., Gastrostyla dorsicirrata nov. spec., Gonostomum franzi nov. spec., Holosticha adami nov. spec., Holosticha sigmoidea nov. spec., Holosticha sylvatica nov. spec., Paraurostyla buitkampi nov. spec., Paraurostyla macrostoma nov. spec., Paruroleptus notabilis nov. spec., Perisincirra filiformis nov. spec., Perisincirra gellerti nov. spec., Perisincirra gracilis nov. spec., Perisincirra interrupta nov. spec., Perisincirra similis nov. spec., Perisincirra viridis nov. spec., Strongylidium wilberti nov. spec., Urosomoida agiliformis nov. spec., Urosomaoida dorsiincisura nov. spec. New combinations: Paruroleptus muscorum nov.comb. for Uroleptus muscorum Kahl 1932, Engelmanniella mobilis nov. comb. for Uroleptus mobilis Engelmann, 1862. Engelmanniella halseyi nov. comb. for Uroleptus halseyi Calkins, 1929, Engelmanniella kahli nov. comb. for Uroleptus kahli Groliere, 1975. Oxytricha rubra Buitkamp, 1977 was aynonymized with Steinia muscorum Kahl, 1932.