The article presents data on the species diversity of benthic ciliates in various water bodies Lankaran natural area. conducted studies have shown that greatest free-living was observed silty soils prevailing fresh waters Among them, biotopes gray oily and algal oozes should be noted, which more than 60% all were found. When studying relation to active reaction environment, it revealed that, al...

Free living ciliates are exposed to environmental challenges such as starvation, temperature fluctuations, high population density and salinity variations. Ciliates lower their metabolic activity form cysts, an adaptive strategy evolved in response stress. In the present study on Pseudourostyla levis, a novel phenomenon of pseudoencystment had been noticed which cells entered state dormancy but...

We propose construction of a BAC library for the germline micronuclear genome (MIC) of the ciliate protist Oxytricha trifallax (recently renamed Sterkiella histriomuscorum; alveolate; class Spirotrichia). This library will primarily be used as a tool to characterize the structure and function of the ciliate micronucleus and its relationship to that of the somatic macronucleus, rather than for c...

The objective of this work was to investigate the patterns of diversity and abundance of ciliates protozoa community in three tropical urban streams and verify which species can be considered bioindicators of water quality. In each stream, three regions (headwater, middle and mouth) were sampled in two years, in the rainy and dry seasons. The abiotic factors (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, ...

Ciliated protists often form symbioses with many diverse microorganisms. In particular, symbiotic associations between ciliates and green algae, as well as between ciliates and intracellular bacteria, are rather wide-spread in nature. In this study, we describe the complex symbiotic system between a very rare ciliate, Paramecium chlorelligerum, unicellular algae inhabiting its cytoplasm, and no...

Ciliates contain two types of nuclei: a diploid transcriptionally inactive micronucleus and a DNA-rich transcriptionally active macronucleus. After sexual reproduction of these cells the old macronucleus degenerates and a new macronucleus is formed by a micronuclear derivate. In hypotrichous ciliates (i.e., Stylonychiu, Oxytricha, k’uplotes) macronuclear development includes the formation of po...

Three extremely diverse groups of unicellular eukaryotes comprise the Alveolata: ciliates, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexans. The vast phenotypic distances between the three groups along with the enigmatic distribution of plastids and the economic and medical importance of several representative species (e.g. Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Perkinsus, and Pfiesteria) have stimulated a great deal of sp...

A major problem in thinking about asymmetrical patterns in organisms is that of obtaining 'big hands from little hands' (Harrison, 1979). The big hands are our own, whereas the little hands are asymmetrical organic molecules. Since the molecules that make up our left and right hands are of identical asymmetry, the different handedness of these big hands must be specified at some more complex le...