The Significance of Cytological Characteristics as Revealed by Protargol Silver Staining in Evaluating the Systematics of the Ciliate Suborder Tintinnina
The Significance of Cytological Characteristics as Revealed by Protargol Silver Staining in Evaluating the Systematics of the Ciliate Suborder Tintinnina
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Date
1977
Authors
Brownlee, David Carl
Advisor
Small, Eugene B.
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Abstract
The present systematics of the tintinnid ciliates is
based on the shape, size, and composition of the lorica as
established by Kofoid and Campbell. Construction of a
classification based on a restricted set of characteristics,
such as those pertaining only to the lorica in the tintinnid
ciliates, may lead to an artificial or unnatural scheme.
This lorica based classification also prohibits phylogenetic
comparisons of the tintinnids to other ciliate groups whose
taxonomy is based on cytological characteristics. In an
attempt to demonstrate the value and necessity of employing
cytological characteristics in constructing the taxonomy of
the tintinnid ciliates, the cytology of representative
species was examined using the protargol silver-impregnation
technique.
Specimens were collected from a wide range of environments,
including marine, brackish, and fresh water habitats
which ranged from tropical to temperate latitudes. Eleven
species comprising ten genera and representing seven families
were chosen to represent the suborder in this preliminary
analysis.
The examination of the stained species provided the first
precise description of somatic ciliation patterns, a more complete
understanding of the buccal organization, and insight
into the biological processes of these ciliates. Using
these observations,comparisons are made to other ciliate
groups and a preliminary analysis of evolutionary trends in
the tintinnid ciliates is supported. It is suggested that a
revision of the placement of certain genera within the families
of tintinnids is necessary and that such changes should be
based on both cytology and morphology of the lorica.