Systematics and species-specific response to pH of Oxytricha acidotolerans sp. nov. and Urosomoida sp. (Ciliophora, Hypotricha) from acid mining lakes

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Thomas Weisse - , Austrian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Michael Moser - , Austrian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Ulrike Scheffel - , Austrian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Peter Stadler - , Austrian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Thomas Berendonk - , Chair of Limnology (Author)
  • Guntram Weithoff - , University of Potsdam (Author)
  • Helmut Berger - , Consulting Engineering Office for Ecology (Author)

Abstract

We investigated the morphology, phylogeny of the 18S rDNA, and pH response of Oxytricha acidotolerans sp. nov. and Urosomoida sp. (Ciliophora, Hypotricha) isolated from two chemically similar acid mining lakes (pH. ∼. 2.6) located at Langau, Austria, and in Lusatia, Germany. Oxytricha acidotolerans sp. nov. from Langau has 18 frontal-ventral-transverse cirri but a very indistinct kinety 3 fragmentation so that the assignment to Oxytricha is uncertain. The somewhat smaller species from Lusatia has a highly variable cirral pattern and the dorsal kineties arranged in the Urosomoida pattern and is, therefore, preliminary designated as Urosomoida sp. The pH response was measured as ciliate growth rates in laboratory experiments at pH ranging from 2.5 to 7.0. Our hypothesis was that the shape of the pH reaction norm would not differ between these closely related (3% difference in their SSU rDNA) species. Results revealed a broad pH niche for O. acidotolerans, with growth rates peaking at moderately acidic conditions (pH 5.2). Cyst formation was positively and linearly related to pH. Urosomoida sp. was more sensitive to pH and did not survive at circumneutral pH. Accordingly, we reject our hypothesis that similar habitats would harbour ciliate species with virtually identical pH reaction norm.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)255-271
Number of pages17
JournalEuropean journal of protistology
Volume49
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - May 2013
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 23021638
ORCID /0000-0002-9301-1803/work/161409780

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Acid mining lakes, Growth rates, Oxytricha, PH response, SSU rDNA, Urosomoida