Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, The River Laboratory, Wareham, Dorset BH20 6BB, UK.
Res Microbiol. 2010 Sep;161(7):619-25. doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2010.05.016. Epub 2010 Jun 22.
Free-living ciliates are a diverse group of microbial eukaryotes that inhabit aquatic environments. They have a vital role within the 'microbial loop', being consumers of microscopic prey such as bacteria, micro-algae, and flagellates, and representing a link between the microscopic and macroscopic components of aquatic food webs. This investigation describes the ciliate communities of four habitats located in the catchment of the River Frome, the major chalk-stream in southern Britain. The ciliate communities were characterised in terms of community assemblage, species abundance and size classes. The ciliate communities investigated proved to be highly diverse, yielding a total of 114 active species. An additional 15 'cryptic' ciliate species were also uncovered. Heterogeneity in the ciliate communities was evident at multiple spatial scales, revealing hot spots of species richness, both within and between habitats. The ciliate communities of habitats with flowing water were composed of smaller ciliates compared to the still-water habitats examined.
自由生活的纤毛虫是微生物真核生物的一个多样化群体，栖息在水生环境中。它们在“微生物环”中起着重要的作用，是细菌、微藻和鞭毛虫等微观猎物的消费者，是水生食物网微观和宏观成分之间的联系。本研究描述了位于英国南部主要白垩溪流弗罗姆河集水区的四个生境中的纤毛虫群落。纤毛虫群落的特征在于群落组合、物种丰度和大小类群。研究发现，纤毛虫群落具有高度的多样性，共产生了 114 种活跃物种。还发现了另外 15 种“隐匿”纤毛虫物种。纤毛虫群落的异质性在多个空间尺度上显而易见，在生境内部和之间都揭示了物种丰富度的热点。流动水栖息地的纤毛虫群落由比所检查的静水栖息地更小的纤毛虫组成。
