Although freshwater ecosystems support a great diversity of life, knowledge of its total diversity is far to be complete, particularly among microbes (Dudgeon et al., 2006). Aquatic microorganisms are pivotal in several biogeochemical processes, playing a key role in the recycling of organic material, or contributing to energy transfer in food webs, since they constitute food sources to micro-f...

Sandflies transmit pathogens of leishmaniasis. The natural infection of sandflies by Leishmania (Viannia) was assessed in municipalities, in the state of Paraná, in Southern Brazil. Sandflies were collected with Falcão and Shannon traps. After dissection in search of flagellates in digestive tubes and identification of the species, female sandflies were submitted to the Multiplex Polymerase Cha...

The extracellular matrix of scaly green flagellates consists of small organic scales consisting of polysaccharides and scale-associated proteins (SAPs). Molecular phylogenies have shown that these organisms represent the ancestral stock of flagellates from which all green plants (Viridiplantae) evolved. The molecular characterization of four different SAPs is presented. Three SAPs are type-2 me...

The evolutionary and ecological importance of predatory flagellates are too often overlooked. This is not only a gap in our understanding of microbial diversity, but also impacts how we interpret their better-studied relatives. A prime example of these problems is found in the alveolates. All well-studied species belong to three large clades (apicomplexans, dinoflagellates, and ciliates), but t...

The response of coastal phytoplankton community to increased nutrient concentrations was examined over a period of 20 days in the summer period on the NE Mediterranean coast. Two different nutrient enrichments were performed. The enrichment treatments received N, P and Si at a ratio of 15 N: 5 Si: 1 P. Two different doses of nutrients (1x and 2x) were applied. The abundance and biomass of the p...