Myxomycete biodiversity revealed in the Namib desert
| Autor: | R. Darrah, D. Wrigley de Basanta, Steven L. Stephenson, Carlos Lado, Arturo Estrada-Torres |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | National Geographic Society, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Desert (philosophy) biology Ecology Eremophila Disjunct distribution Biodiversity Plant Science Distribution Free-living protists biology.organism_classification 01 natural sciences Arid Amoebozoa 0104 chemical sciences 010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry Arid ecoregion Geography Slime mold Eumycetozoa 010606 plant biology & botany Desert microbiota |
| Zdroj: | Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC instname Digital.CSIC: Repositorio Institucional del CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Popis: | This paper describes the results from a survey for myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) in the Namib Desert. There are no previous records of this group of organisms from Namibia, so the results are all first records for the country and demonstrate that even the world's oldest desert has a surprising number of these visible and important microorganisms, which form an integral part of the desert microbiota. The survey recovered eight species that have never previously been reported from any country in Africa, and reveals the presence of two species Physarum atacamense and Licea eremophila, recently described from arid areas in South America. Three of the species collected are possibly new to science, but there was insufficient material to develop formal descriptions. Comments on the most interesting collections are included, and the results are compared with surveys for myxomycetes in other arid environments. These results show similarities with the coastal desert of Peru, as well as a disjunct distribution and evidence of area specificity. The fact that deserts harbor a notable diversity of myxomycetes is confirmed. The research reported herein was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society grant number 9379-13 to S.L. Stephenson. The research permit was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of the Government of the Republic of Namibia; research permit number 1988/2014. The Myxotropic project (CGL2014-52584P), funded by the Spanish government (CSIC), provided technical support for laboratory work. We are grateful to Gillian Maggs-Kölling and her team at the Gobabeb Research and Training centre (www.gobabebtrc.org) for their help on the ground in Namibia, and to Carlos de Mier (RJB) for his help with the graphics. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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