Not too big for its mouth: direct evidence of a macrodasyidan gastrotrich preyed in nature by a dileptid ciliate

Autor: M. A. Todaro, P. Luporini
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: The European Zoological Journal, Vol 89, Iss 1, Pp 785-790 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 24750263
2475-0263
DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2022.2095048
Popis: Nearly ubiquitous and usually speciose in most aquatic habitats, the meiofaunal-sized gastrotrichs are recognized as an important component of marine and freshwater ecosystems. The common observations that gastrotrichs feed on bacteria, microalgae and biodetritus strongly imply that they play a relevant role in linking the microbial loop to the higher trophic levels. Which are the organisms that in turn prey on gastrotrichs is, however, a substantially unexplored question. Inspecting meiofauna samples collected from shallow sites of the Tyrrhenian coast, we had the chance to spot a wild case of a macrodasyidan gastrotrich predated by a dileptid ciliate. This case is documented here with a set of in-vivo photos, jointly with an unequivocal taxonomic identification of the preyed gastrotrich with Paraturbanella teissieri and a tentative identification of the predator ciliate with Pseudomonilicaryon marinus.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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