Morphological, Phylogenetic and Ecophysiological Characterization of a New Ciliate, Platynematum rossellomorai n. sp. (Oligohymenophorea, Scuticociliatia), Detected in a Hypersaline Pond on Mallorca, Spain.

With highly specialized morphology and unexplored functional capacities, ciliates from extreme habitats are drawing increasing attention. During a microbial investigation of a solar saltern pond (salinity 240‰) on Mallorca, Spain, a previously unknown scuticociliate, Platynematum rossellomorai n. sp.

Correction to: Glycine Betaine and Ectoine Are the Major Compatible Solutes Used by Four Different Halophilic Heterotrophic Ciliates.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes in the author affiliation, the references given in two tables and in a figure legend.

Glycine Betaine and Ectoine Are the Major Compatible Solutes Used by Four Different Halophilic Heterotrophic Ciliates.

One decisive factor controlling the distribution of organisms in their natural habitats is the cellular response to environmental factors. Compared to prokaryotes, our knowledge about salt adaptation strategies of microbial eukaryotes is very limited. We, here, used a recently introduced approach (implementing proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) to investigate the presence of compatible solutes in halophilic, heterotrophic ciliates.

Identification of osmoadaptive strategies in the halophile, heterotrophic ciliate Schmidingerothrix salinarum.

Hypersaline environments pose major challenges to their microbial residents. Microorganisms have to cope with increased osmotic pressure and low water activity and therefore require specific adaptation mechanisms. Although mechanisms have already been thoroughly investigated in the green alga Dunaliella salina and some halophilic yeasts, strategies for osmoadaptation in other protistan groups (especially heterotrophs) are neither as well known nor as deeply investigated as for their prokaryotic counterpart.

Transition boundaries for protistan species turnover in hypersaline waters of different biogeographic regions.

The identification of environmental barriers which govern species distribution is a fundamental concern in ecology. Even though salt was previously identified as a major transition boundary for micro- and macroorganisms alike, the salinities causing species turnover in protistan communities are unknown. We investigated 4.