Microeukaryotes Associated with Freshwater Mussels in Rivers of the Southeastern United States.

ABSTRACT: Microeukaryotes are a diverse and often overlooked group of microbes that are important in food webs and other ecological linkages. Little is known about microeukaryotes associated with aquatic invertebrates, although filter feeders such as mussels are likely to take in and potentially retain microeukaryotes in their gut while feeding. Microeukaryotes such as apicomplexans have been reported in marine mussel species, but no studies have examined the presence of these microorganisms in freshwater mussels or how they relate to mussel host species or environmental conditions. In this study, microbial community DNA was extracted from the gut tissue of over 300 freshwater mussels, representing 22 species collected from rivers in the southeastern USA. Microeukaryote DNA was detected using PCR am

SUBMITTER: Halliday-Isaac AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11434547 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature