Global diversity of rotifers (Rotifera) in freshwater

Rotifera is a Phylum of primary freshwater Metazoa containing two major groups: the heterogonic Monogononta and the exclusively parthenogenetic Bdelloidea. Monogononta contains 1,570 species-level taxa, of which a majority (1,488) are free-living fresh or inland water taxa. Bdelloidea contains 461 “species,” only one of which is marine, but with many limnoterrestrial representatives or animals of unknown ecology. Actual numbers may be much higher, considering the occurrence of cryptic speciation in Monogononta and the unsatisfactory nature of taxonomic knowledge. Rotifers, mostly monogononts, occur in all types of water bodies, worldwide. They are particularly diverse in the littoral zone of stagnant waterbodies with soft, slightly acidic water and under oligo- to mesotrophic conditions. The rotifer record is highest in the Northern hemisphere, which may be due to the concentration of studies in those regions. Diversity is highest in the (sub)tropics; hotspots are northeast North America, tropical South America, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Lake Baikal, endemicity is low in Africa (including Madagascar), Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Antarctica. Although the lack of fossil evidence and of molecular phylogenetic studies are major hindrances, contrasting hypotheses on the origin and evolutionary history of Brachionus, Macrochaetus, and Trichocerca are presented. Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers & K. Martens Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment     

The Rotifera of Hummock-Hollow Formations in a Poor (Mesotrophic) Fen in Newfoundland

Rotifers encountered from a poor (mesotrophic) fen, Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, are listed. Sixty-four species and varieties, including 25 Bdelloidea and 39 Monogononta, were recorded. All but 4 of the reported species and varieties are new records for the Province of Newfoundland, while 27 are new records for Canada; of these, 13 are new for North America. A seasonal quantitative study of rotifer communities in the hummock-hollow formations on the fen was carried out from August 1973 to October 1974. An average of 354 rotifers/cm² (17 species) was found per formation. Monogononta almost totally disappeared during winter, while the Bdelloidea decreased somewhat in numbers. The tops of hummocks contained mainly bdelloid species. The number of monogononts increased both in species and individuals on the slopes of hummocks and was greatest in the hollows, although the total number of rotifers was less in these areas than in the hummock tops. Some physical and biological factors affecting the rotifer communities were examined. Rotifers in these sites are not subjected to dessication. Predation was not an important factor. A quantitative sampling method was devised for procuring relatively accurate samples from living Sphagnum, and for extracting rotifers from these samples.     

prp4 from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a mutant deficient in pre-mRNA splicing isolated using genes containing artificial introns

Summary We have generated a bank of temperature-sensitive (ts) Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant strains. About 150 of these mutants were transformed with a ura4 gene containing an artificial intron. We screened these is mutants for mutants deficient in splicing of the ura4 intron. With this approach three mutants were isolated which have a general defect in the splicing process. Two of these mutants fall into the prp1 complementation group and one defines a new complementation group, prp4.     

Indication for deletion of two introns in theoxi-3 gene of a respiratory-competentSaccharomyces cerevisiae strain

Physical mapping of the mitochondrial DNA of the wild-typeSaccharomyces cerevisiae strainRXII revealed that most of the restriction sites as well as the location of the apocytochromeb gene were identical in comparison with the known maps of the mitochondrial genome in otherSaccharomyces cerevisiae strains. In the middle of theSalI linearized map of theRXII mitochondrial DNA, a deletion was detected which resulted in the loss of twoEcoRI and oneBamHI restriction sites. The corresponding region, however, exists in most other laboratory strains ofSaccharomyces mapped so far. This region overlaps the introns aI2 and aI3 surrounding exon A3 sequences of the subunit 1 of the cytochrome oxidase gene. The nucleotide sequence of the subunit 1 gene showed that theBamHI site was located close to the aI3-A4 intron-exon junction and the distalEcoRI site close to the aI2-A2 boundary. I therefore conclude that these two introns are deleted in the mitochondrial genome of strainRXII. The exon A3 must have been conserved since this strain was respiratory competent. This result, while being a good example of the morphological diversity of a genome with the same function, may contribute to an understanding of the role of introns in the mitochondrial split genes in yeast.     

Prevalence and distribution of introns in non-ribosomal protein genes of yeast

Relatively few genes in the yeast Saccharornyces cerevisiae are known to contain intervening sequences. As a group, yeast ribosomal protein genes exhibit a higher prevalence of introns when compared to non-ribosomal protein genes. In an effort to quantify this bias we have estimated the prevalence of intron sequences among non-ribosomal protein genes by assessing the number of prp2-sensitive mRNAs in an in vitro translation assay. These results, combined with an updated survey of the GenBank DNA database, support an estimate of 2.5% for intron-containing non-ribosomal protein genes. Furthermore, our observations reveal an intriguing distinction between the distributions of ribosomal protein and non-ribosomal protein intron lengths, suggestive of distinct, gene class-specific evolutionary pressures.     

Taxonomic composition of rotifers in Lake Peipsi

161 rotifer taxa 46 of which are new records for Estonia were identified in the north-western part of Lake Peipsi. The greatest number of taxa occurred in August (93), followed by September (79). In all, 19 families (Monogononta) are represented with 41 genera. The dominant families are Brachionidae (32 taxa) and Synchaetidae (16). The species of Anuraeopsis, Conochilus, Kellicottia, Keratella, Notholca, Polyarthra and Synchaeta are dominating. The taxonomic composition is analysed in the ecological aspect. Some species of zoogeographic interest, including a supposedly endemic Ploesoma peipsiense, are reported.     

Invasion of protein coding genes by green algal ribosomal group I introns

The spread of group I introns depends on their association with intron-encoded homing endonucleases. Introns that encode functional homing endonuclease genes (HEGs) are highly invasive, whereas introns that only encode the group I ribozyme responsible for self-splicing are generally stably inherited (i.e., vertical inheritance). A number of recent case studies have provided new knowledge on the evolution of group I introns, however, there are still large gaps in understanding of their distribution on the tree of life, and how they have spread into new hosts and genic sites. During a larger phylogenetic survey of chlorophyceaen green algae, we found that 23 isolates contain at least one group I intron in the rbcL chloroplast gene. Structural analyses show that the introns belong to one of two intron lineages, group IA2 intron-HEG (GIY-YIG family) elements inserted after position 462 in the rbcL gene, and group IA1 introns inserted after position 699. The latter intron type sometimes encodes HNH homing endonucleases. The distribution of introns was analyzed on an exon phylogeny and patterns were recovered that are consistent with vertical inheritance and possible horizontal transfer. The rbcL 462 introns are thus far reported only within the Volvocales, Hydrodictyaceae and Bracteacoccus, and closely related isolates of algae differ in the presence of rbcL introns. Phylogenetic analysis of the intron conserved regions indicates that the rbcL699 and rbcL462 introns have distinct evolutionary origins. The rbcL699 introns were likely derived from ribosomal RNA L2449 introns, whereas the rbcL462 introns form a close relationship with psbA introns.     

Polymorphism and divergence at three duplicate genes in Brassica nigra

The CONSTANS-like gene family has been shown to evolve exceptionally fast in Brassicaceae. In the present study we analyzed sequence polymorphism and divergence of three genes from this family: COL1 (CONSTANS-LIKE 1) and two copies of CO (CONSTANS), COa and COb, in B. nigra. There was a significant fourfold difference in overall nucleotide diversity among the three genes, with BniCOb having twice as much variation as BniCOL1, which in turn was twice as variable as BniCOa. The ratio of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) was high for all three genes, confirming previous studies. While we did not detect evidence of selection at BniCOa and BniCOb, there was a significant excess of polymorphic synonymous mutations in a McDonald-Kreitman test comparing COL1 in B. nigra and A. thaliana. This is apparently the result of an increase in selective constraint on COL1 in B. nigra combined with a decrease in A. thaliana. In conclusion, a complex scenario involving both demography and selection seems to have shaped the pattern of polymorphism at the three genes.     

The components of feeding behavior in rotifers

Feeding behavior of a rotifer can be broken into two classes of activities: the rate of successful search and the handling process. The former consists of the following components: Perceptual field (in planktonic rotifers the area of the corona), swimming rate, and attack rate. The second class consists of capture rate, handling time, rejection rate, ingestion, digestion, and assimilation. All evidence indicates that the perceptual field cannot be varied by the rotifer. Swimming rate is variable and under rotifer control, but does not appear to vary with degree of starvation. Attack rate is also under control of the rotifer, at least in the genus Asplanchna. Capture rates vary with the species of food item from zero to 100%. Handling times are longer than one would expect, as are rejection times. Digestion and assimilation appear to vary inversely with rate of ingestion. There is some suggestion in the literature that feeding behavior on very small particles differs from that on larger ones.     

Two new lecanid rotifers from India

While working on the material collected from Calcutta and its environs, the author came across two new lecanid rotifers which have been described in this paper as a new species and a new variety.     

Biotechnology and aquaculture of rotifers

Biotechnology can be defined as any technology that involves living organisms or their derivatives. In applying this definition to rotifers, we focus on their contribution in culturing of early larval stages of marine fish. After almost four decades of marine fish culture in captivity, the success of this worldwide industry is still quite dependent on mass culture of the species Brachionus plicatilis and B. rotundiformis. In mass culture, the rotifers are continuously driven to reproduce at high rates, in relatively extreme environmental conditions of high population density and high loads of organic matter. Therefore, the success of mass cultures and future improvements in these systems relies on a close interaction between basic and applied studies of rotifers. In the present review, we will attempt to analyze why rotifers are suitable for early life stages of fish and to describe, in general, methodologies that have been devised for reliable supply of rotifers in large quantities. Problems associated with rotifer production, nutritional quality and effect on fish health and nutrition, will be discussed. Research on B. plicatilis and B. rotundiformis has increased enormously during the past three decades and these two species are the best-studied rotifers so far. While much of the research on these species is directed or devoted to the needs of aquaculture industry, they are also used as models for addressing basic biological questions, due to the relative ease of culture and their availability. Studies on feeding, pheromones, speciation in rotifers, the occurrence and putative hormones involved in sexual and asexual reproduction and production of resting eggs, are few examples of such studies. Rotifers will probably maintain their role as food organism for fish larvae, in spite of attempts to replace them with more accessible formulated food. Development of new culture methods that will improve the nutritional quality and production efficiency of rotifers may result in more diversified and flexible tasks for these organisms in aquaculture.     

Limitations of tpi and bg genes sub-genotyping for characterization of human Giardia duodenalis isolates

The intestinal protozoan Giardia duodenalis includes 2 genetically distinct assemblages, A and B, which are responsible for human infections. Little is known so far on the genotypes of G. duodenalis human isolates in France. The present characterization of 19 French clinical isolates was aimed at determining their genotype patterns and associations with clinical symptoms, and in vivo metronidazole resistance, respectively. Based on both triose-phosphate isomerase (tpi) and β-giardin (bg) gene sequences, twelve isolates were identified as assemblage A, and 7 as assemblage B for the 2 gene loci. Sub-genotyping heterogeneities were observed in 15/19 isolates attributed to either A or B assemblage. They include frequent mismatches and intra-assemblage discordances and mixed positions, which were found more frequently in tpi than in bg sequences, and in assemblage B than in assemblage A sequences. No association was found between sub-genotypes, clinical symptoms and metronidazole sensitivity. Present data underline the need for improvements in the standardization of G. duodenalis multilocus genotyping approach for further molecular epidemiologic studies of giardiasis.     

Plant nuclear tRNAMet genes are ubiquitously interrupted by introns

We have isolated three independent clones for nuclear elongator tRNA^Met genes from an Arabidopsis DNA library using a tRNA^Met-specific probe generated by PCR. Each of the coding sequences for tRNA^Met in these clones is identical and is interrupted by an identical 11 bp long intervening sequence at the same position in the anticodon loop of the tRNA. Their sequences differ at two positions from the intron in a soybean counterpart. Southern analysis of Arabidopsis DNA demonstrates that a gene family coding for tRNA^Met is dispersed at at least eight loci in the genome. The unspliced precursor tRNA^Met intermediate was detected by RNA analysis using an oligonucleotide probe complementary to the putative intron sequence. In order to know whether introns commonly interrupt plant tRNA^Met genes, their coding sequences were PCR-amplified from the DNAs of eight phylogenetically separate plant species. All 53 sequences determined contain 10 to 13 bp long intervening sequences, always positioned one base downstream from the anticodon. They can all be potentially folded into the secondary structure characteristic for plant intron-containing precursor tRNAs. Surprisingly, GC residues are always present at the 5-distal end of each intron.     

Structural features and evolutionary considerations of group IB introns in SSU rDNA of the lichen fungus Teloschistes

Different species of the lichen-forming ascomycete fungus Teloschistes were found to contain group IB introns at position S1506 in the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. We have characterized the structural organization and phylogeny of the Teloschistes introns Tco.S1506, Tla.S1506, and Tvi.S1506. Common features to all the introns are a small size, a compact RNA structure, and an atypical catalytic ribozyme core sequence motif. Variations in intron sizes, due to sequence extensions in the P1 and P8 loop segments, were observed in different species and isolates. Phylogenetic analyses based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region as well as the introns show that the Teloschistes S1506 introns represent a distinct evolutionary isolated cluster among the nuclear group I introns. Furthermore, introns from different lineages of Teloschistes villosus appear not strictly vertically inherited probably due to horizontal transfer in one of the lineages.     

Early contributions of molecular phylogenetics to understanding the evolution of Rotifera

The past decade has seen the application of DNA sequence data to phylogenetic investigations of Rotifera, both expanding and challenging our understanding of the evolution of the phylum. Evidence that Acanthocephala, long regarded as a separate but closely related phylum, is a highly derived class of Rotifera demonstrates the potential of molecular analyses to suggest relationships not obvious from morphological analysis. Phylogenies based on the sequence of the gene for the small ribosomal RNA suggest that rotifers and acanthocephalans are associated with Platyhelminthes and Gastrotricha, perhaps in a clade with Gnathostomula and Cycliophora; at present, this group lacks a clear morphological synapomorphy. A more complete resolution of the molecular phylogeny of Rotifera will require surveying multiple genes and several species from each clade under investigation.     

A survey of genes in Eimeria tenella merozoites by EST sequencing

A study of about 500 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), derived from a merozoite cDNA library, was initiated as an approach to generate a larger pool of gene information on Eimeria tenella. Of the ESTs, 47.7% had matches with entries in the databases, including ribosomal proteins, metabolic enzymes and proteins with other functions, of which 14.3% represented previously known E. tenella genes. Thus over 50% of the ESTs had no significant database matches. The E. tenella EST dataset contained a range of highly abundant genes comparable with that found in the EST dataset of T. gondii and may thus reflect the importance of such molecules in the biology of the apicomplexan organisms. However, comparison of the two datasets revealed very few homologies between sequences of apical organelle molecules, and provides evidence for sequence divergence between these closely-related parasites. The data presented underpin the potential value of the EST strategy for the discovery of novel genes and may allow for a more rapid increase in the knowledge and understanding of gene expression in the merozoite life cycle stage of Eimeria spp.     

On choice of substrate and habitat in bdelzoid rotifers

Information on the distributions of 77 bdelloid rotifers from diverse waters in south and central Sweden was analyzed to reveal their relationships to substrate and habitat. Only two species were reported from plankton, both in low frequency. An artificial substrate, white cotton, was utilized only by few bdelloids, mainly by species with eyes. Only one species occurred at higher frequency on the saprobic substrate Sphaerotilus. Most bdelloids prefer environments rich in oxygen, but some species may be found in soft-bottom sediments. Several species dwell preferentially in diverse habitats of bogs. Some bdelloids have an exceptionally broad ecological range, but even for these is it possible to distinguish a pattern of preference and avoidance.