Diversity and Distribution of Peritrich
Ciliates on the Snail Physa acuta
Draparnaud, 1805 (Gastropoda: Physidae) in a Eutrophic Lotic System
This is the first study to investigate the
structure and distribution of epibiont peritrich ciliate communities on
mollusk shells in a neotropical area. We can conclude that the high
prevalence of epibionts recorded on Physa acuta
is related to the high level of organic pollution in the studied lotic
system; that the seven peritrich species found show aggregate
distribution; and that ciliates mainly colonize the sutures and dorsal
region of the shell, which confirms the hypothesis that the shell makes
up a complex and heterogeneous environment for peritrich colonization.
These new findings highlight the need for future studies on the
epibiotic relationships between peritrich ciliates and aquatic
metazoans to better understand the dispersion of peritrichs in lotic
systems.

Read the full article, published by Zoological
Studies, here
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Media contact: Noah Last: lastn@gate.sinica.edu.tw