Division and conjugation in Nyctotherus cordiformis (EHr.) Stein (Protozoa, Ciliata) with special reference to the nuclear phenomena

Autor: Ralph Wichterman
Rok vydání: 1937
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Morphology. 60:563-611
ISSN: 1097-4687
0362-2525
DOI: 10.1002/jmor.1050600212
Popis: A cytological study of the complete life cycle of Nyctotherus cordiformis (Ehr.) Stein, a heterotrichous ciliate from the large intestine of tadpole and adult Hyla versicolor hosts is presented. In division a partial dedifferentiation of parental ingestatory structures occurs, then redifferentiation, to be retained by the anterior daughter. For the posterior daughter, the ingestatory apparatus arises de novo. In conjugation, two ciliates fuse along their peristomes. The macronucles undergoes complete fragmentation while the micronucleus divides three times. The first pregamic division results in two micronuclear products; the second division, four micronuclear products, three of which degenerate. The remaining product enters into the third pregamic division to produce the two functional, migratory and stationary, pronuclei. Interchange of migratory pronuclei follows at the fused anterior ends of the conjugants to form the amphinucleus which divides once to produce the micronucleus and the macronuclear anlage. Development and behavior of the unusual macronuclear anlage (‘spireme-ball’ of Stein and Schneider) is described for the first time. At the end of the conjugation process, ingestatory structures of each conjugant completely dedifferentiate while a complete new set arises de novo posterior to the old ones. In this case, conjugation occurs only in tadpoles which are metamorphosing into frogs. Conjugation here is interpreted as an effort made by the ciliates to overcome a physiological crisis during the drastic host transformation changes.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: