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Wild-type strains of the protozoan ciliate Euplotes collected from different locations on the coasts of Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego and the Arctic were taxonomically identified as the morpho-species Euplotes nobiiii, based on morphometric and phylogenetic analyses. Subsequent studies of their sexual interactions revealed that mating combinations of Antarctic and Arctic strains form stable pairs of conjugant cells. These conjugant pairs were isolated and shown to complete mutual gene exchange and cross-fertilization. The biological significance of this finding was further substantiated by demonstrating that close homology exists among the three- dimensional structures determined by NMR of the water-borne signaling pheromones that are constitutively secreted into the extracellular space by these interbreeding strains, in which these molecules trigger the switch between the growth stage and the sexual stage of the life cycle. The fact that Antarctic and Arctic E. nobilll populations share the same gene pool and belong to the same biological species provides new support to the biogeographic model of global distribution of eukaryotic microorganisms, which had so far been based exclusively on studies of morphological and phylogenetic taxonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined colony growth in the long-lived red coral Corallium rubrum, a slow growing octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and neighboring Atlantic areas and one of the most valuable of all marine species. Age and growth rate were determined on 165 sections of colony bases and branches by means of a validated age dating method in populations living between 50 and 130 m in the NW Mediterranean. The ratio between minimum and maximum diameter remained constant, indicating proportional growth of colony bases. No significant difference was found between the growth rate of bases and branches. A significantly different branching pattern (colony height/number of branches) and average growth rate were found between the colonies of the different geographic areas. As growth rate decreases with age, this was due to the different age structure of the two samples. The maximum lifespan was found to be 106 years, a value not determined previously for C. rubrum colonies, and the average age of colonies at first branching was about 10 years. Linear growth varied widely between colonies as well as between branches in the same colony, confirming the lack of any strict relation between height and age. The study illustrates the growth of a mesophotic, heavily exploited Corallidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The valuable Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum (Octocorallia Gorgonacea) has been harvested for more than 2 thousand years. Although our knowledge on the demographic features of red coral populations living between 10 and 50 m depth has increased considerably in recent years, the main life-history traits of deeper populations (the main target of current harvesting) are still largely unknown. To increase the demographic knowledge of the latter populations, sampling was carried out during early Summer 2010 in the North-Western Mediterranean (Tyrrhenian Sea – Italy), between 50 and 130 m depth. This paper quantifies the main demographic descriptors of this coral population in terms of size/age and sexual structure. Colony age was estimated by counting annual growth rings on thin sections of 69 colonies. A 2-way ANOVA showed no significant difference between the age estimated by three independent observers. The average annual colony growth rate (basal diameter), showing some decrease with colony age increase, was 0.26 mm/yr. The relationship between age and basal diameter derived from a subsample of colonies was then applied to assess the age of a larger sample of the population and showed 38% of the sampled colonies reached the commercial size (≥7 mm of basal diameter), corresponding to about 30 years in this population and a maximum life span of 93 years; about half of them (51.1%) were in the 21–25 and 26–30 age classes. The analysis of the sexual features revealed a balanced sex ratio, a colony fertility of 90.3% and an average fecundity of 0.83 oocytes or planulae per polyp. The knowledge of these life-history descriptors is needed for our understanding of deep dwelling red coral population dynamics and for matching of harvesting to population growth rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new microsporidian species, Euplotespora binucleata n. gen., n. sp., from the brackish-water ciliate Euplotes woodruffi is described and defined on the basis of life history characteristics, light and electron microscopic features, and small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing. The life cycle of E. binucleata n. sp. probably has rather short merogonic and relatively long sporogonic phases. Some uninuclear meronts and sporonts, along with diplokaryotic sporoblasts and spores, were found in experimentally infected host cells. Such a peculiar life cycle has been induced experimentally in Euplotes eurystomus and constitutively microsporidian-free stocks of E. woodruffi. Spores of E. binucleata n. sp. are monomorphic, ovoid–cylindrical in shape, 3.44±0.17 × 1.65±0.22 μm in size, and characterized by a diplokaryotic condition and a large posterior vacuole. The polar tube is isofilar, 4.5–5.5 μm in length when ejected, and lacking a distinctive coiled region (half-coiled). The polaroplast is divided into two regions: the anterior part has a few lamellae close to the anchoring disc; and the posterior part is a rounded body (sack), about one-quarter of the spore length. Spores do not appear to cluster together as a group. Each spore is surrounded by a sporophorous membrane closely adjacent to the exospore layer. A phylogenetic analysis of SSU rDNA sequences by different methods placed E. binucleata n. sp. in a clade with representatives of the microsporidian genera Cystosporogenes and Vittaforma. Observations of microsporidia in several other ciliates are discussed in view of the microsporidian infection frequency in the phylum Ciliophora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ciliates comprise a diverse and ecologically important phylum of unicellular protists. One of the most specious and best-defined genera is Euplotes, which constitutes more than 70 morphospecies, many of which have never been molecularly tested. The increasing number of described Euplotes taxa emphasizes the importance for detailed characterizations of new ones, requiring standardized morphological observations, sequencing of molecular markers and careful comparison with previous literature. Here we describe Euplotes curdsi sp. nov., distinguishable by the combination of the following features: 45–65 μm length, oval or elongated shape with both ends rounded, narrow peristome with 25–34 adoral membranelles, conspicuous paroral membrane, double-eurystomus dorsal argyrome type, 6–7 dorsolateral kineties and 10 frontoventral cirri. Three populations of the novel species have been found in brackish and marine samples in the Mediterranean and the White Sea. We provide the SSU rRNA gene sequences of these populations, and an updated phylogeny of the genus Euplotes. Using the molecular phylogenetic tree, we inferred aspects of the biogeographical history of the genus and the evolution of its most important taxonomic characters in order to provide a frame for future descriptions. Ultimately, these data reveal recurrent trends of freshwater invasion and highlight the dynamic, yet convergent, morphological evolution of Euplotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercially harvested since ancient times, the highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is an octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs on rocky bottoms over a wide bathymetric range. Current knowledge is restricted to its shallow populations (15-50 m depth), with comparably little attention given to the deeper populations (50-200 m) that are nowadays the main target of exploitation. In this study, red coral distribution and population structure were assessed in three historically exploited areas (Amalfi, Ischia Island and Elba Island) in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) between 50 and 130 m depth by means of ROV during a cruise carried out in the summer of 2010. Red coral populations showed a maximum patch frequency of 0.20 ± 0.04 SD patches·m−1 and a density ranging between 28 and 204 colonies·m−2, with a fairly continuous bathymetric distribution. The highest red coral densities in the investigated areas were found on cliffs and boulders mainly exposed to the east, at the greatest depth, and characterized by medium percentage sediment cover. The study populations contained a high percentage (46% on average) of harvestable colonies (>7 mm basal diameter). Moreover, some colonies with fifth-order branches were also observed, highlighting the probable older age of some components of these populations. The Ischia population showed the highest colony occupancy, density and size, suggesting a better conservation status than the populations at the other study locations. These results indicate that deep dwelling red coral populations in non-stressed or less-harvested areas may diverge from the inverse size-density relationship previously observed in red coral populations with increasing depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-faced nature of protozoa allowed us to study the relationship between cell cycle and behaviour in Euplotes crassus; the former represents one of the most typical cellular traits, the latter is one of the most significant characteristics of an organism. Dividing cells of E. crassus were isolated on a slide and recorded for 11 h: the classic ethographic parameters were calculated every 60 min. The percentage of mobile cells went from 0–100% in the first 2.5 h. This value was maintained for 6.5 h, but from 9 h the value began to drop, reaching 0% at 11 h. The relative frequency of leftward arcs was very high in the first hour, the radius and length of the arcs increased from 1–7 h; velocity showed a similar trend, peaking at 7 h. All our results showed that the behaviour of this ciliate is heavily affected by its cell-division cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]