Temperature-dependent resistance to starvation of three contrasting freshwater ciliates.

We investigated the temperature-dependent response to starvation of three contrasting freshwater ciliates (Ciliophora). The cyst-forming algivorous species Meseres corlissi and the bactivorous species Glaucomides bromelicola, which cannot form cysts, co-occur in the reservoirs (tanks) of tree bromeliads. The mixotrophic species Coleps spetai is common in many lakes.

Functional ecology of planktonic ciliates: Measuring mortality rates in response to starvation.

Population dynamics of aquatic ciliates are controlled "bottom-up" via food supply and "top-down" by grazing and parasitism. While intrinsic growth rates of ciliates under saturating food conditions have been studied in some detail, mortality rates induced by starvation have received little attention thus far. To this end, we examined the response of three algivorous freshwater ciliate species to starvation using three different optical methods.

Functional ecology of the ciliate Glaucomides bromelicola, and comparison with the sympatric species Bromeliothrix metopoides.

We investigated the ecology and life strategy of Glaucomides bromelicola (family Bromeliophryidae), a very common ciliate in the reservoirs (tanks) of bromeliads, assessing its response to food quality and quantity and pH. Further, we conducted competition experiments with the frequently coexisting species Bromeliothrix metopoides (family Colpodidae). In contrast to B.

Bromeliothrix metopoides, a boom and bust ciliate (Ciliophora, Colpodea) from tank bromeliads.

We investigated the recently described colpodid ciliate Bromeliothrix metopoides in a series of laboratory experiments to reveal the environmental factors that constrain this species to its peculiar habitat, i.e. the tanks of bromeliads.