Research Group for Biology Education, Institute for Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Steiger 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
AK Evolutionsbiologie, Neuburg, 79104, Freiburg i. Br., Germany.
Theory Biosci. 2022 Sep;141(3):313-319. doi: 10.1007/s12064-022-00375-9. Epub 2022 Aug 27.
Fifty years ago, the enigmatic Brazilian myxomycete-species Didymium aquatile was described and analyzed with respect to the structure of the plasmodium and its spores. In this study, we compare this rare plasmodial slime mold with another, temporarily aquatic taxon from Europe, Didymium nigripes. Phenotypic plasticity of D. nigripes was investigated under various environmental conditions. Large changes in the morphology of the plasmodia were observed. For species identification, characteristics of the fruiting bodies are key features. However, Didymium aquatile was only characterized by its "abnormal" plasmodia, but no molecular data were available. Here, we analyzed DNA-sequences of 22 species of the genera Didymium and Diderma with a focus on this South American taxon via molecular genetics. A comparison of 18S-rDNA-sequences from D. aquatile and 21 other Didymium (and Diderma)-species indicates that D. aquatile is a reproductively isolated morpho-species. Phenotypic plasticity of D. nigripes is documented with respect to plasmodium morphology and the formation of fruiting bodies, as an example of an adaptation of a terrestrial species to aquatic environments.
五十年前，神秘的巴西黏菌物种水生双腔菌因其变形体和孢子的结构而被描述和分析。在这项研究中，我们将这种罕见的变形体黏菌与另一种来自欧洲的暂时水生分类群黑双腔菌进行了比较。在各种环境条件下研究了黑双腔菌的表型可塑性。观察到变形体的形态发生了很大变化。对于物种鉴定，子实体的特征是关键特征。然而，水生双腔菌仅以其“异常”变形体为特征，但没有分子数据。在这里，我们通过分子遗传学分析了属双腔菌和双皮菌的 22 个物种的 DNA 序列，重点是这种南美分类群。水生双腔菌和其他 21 种双腔菌（和双皮菌）的 18S rDNA 序列比较表明，水生双腔菌是一个具有生殖隔离的形态种。黑双腔菌的表型可塑性是通过变形体形态和子实体形成来记录的，这是陆地物种适应水生环境的一个例子。
