Growth and Chloroplast Replacement of the Benthic Mixotrophic Ciliate Mesodinium coatsi.

ABSTRACT: While the ecophysiology of planktonic Mesodinium rubrum species complex has been relatively well studied, very little is known about that of benthic Mesodinium species. In this study, we examined the growth response of the benthic ciliate Mesodinium coatsi to different cryptophyte prey using an established culture of this species. M. coatsi was able to ingest all of the offered cryptophyte prey types, but not all cryptophytes supported its positive, sustained growth. While M. coatsi achieved sustained growth on all of the phycocyanin-containing Chroomonas spp. it was offered, it showed different growth responses to the phycoerythrin-containing cryptophytes Rhodomonas spp., Storeatula sp., and Teleaulax amphioxeia. M. coatsi was able to easily replace previously ingested prey chloroplasts w

SUBMITTER: Kim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6766864 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature