Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Protist taxonomy: an ecological perspective.

Bland J Finlay1

  • 1CEH Dorset, Winfrith Technology Centre, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester DT2 8ZD, UK. bjf@ceh.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|July 16, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Seasonal Patterns of Phytoplankton Taxon Richness in Lakes: Effects of Temperature, Turnover and Abundance.

Protist·2022
Same author

Hydrogenosomes of <i>Metopus contortus</i> physiologically resemble mitochondria.

Microbiology (Reading, England)·2021
Same author

Cosmopolitan Metapopulations?

Protist·2019
Same author

Respiratory energy losses related to cell weight and temperature in ciliated protozoa.

Oecologia·2017
Same author

The dependence of reproductive rate on cell size and temperature in freshwater ciliated protozoa.

Oecologia·2017
Same author

New records of the ectoparasitic flagellate Colpodella gonderi on non-Colpoda ciliates.

International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology·2012
Same journal

The microlandscapes of tree trunks: the effect of lichen and tree-level characteristics on arthropod communities.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Centimetre-scale landscapes to assess the motion behaviour and cognition of gastropods and bivalves.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Intertidal microcosms of wave-swept rocky shores: ecological and physiological insights from a uniquely stressful environment.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Temporal and spatial variation in temperature and oxygen at the microscale: key niche axes for aquatic life.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Natural microcosms in ecology: fulfilling the promise of model systems?

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Microbe-induced galls and plant defence: metabolite crosstalk in a co-evolutionary battle.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
See all related articles

Contemporary protist taxonomy needs an ecological perspective. Future research on genetic and ecological data will refine species concepts beyond current morphospecies, potentially identifying ecotypes within protist communities.

Area of Science:

  • Protistology
  • Ecology
  • Taxonomy

Background:

  • Current protist taxonomy relies on 'morphospecies', which are insufficient for a comprehensive ecological species concept.
  • Understanding protist diversity requires integrating genetic, physiological, and ecological data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore contemporary protist taxonomy from an ecological viewpoint.
  • To investigate the potential for developing a more meaningful species concept for protists.

Main Methods:

  • Examining the limitations of the 'morphospecies' concept in protist taxonomy.
  • Proposing the identification of 'ecotypes' based on genotypic and phenotypic clusters.
  • Analyzing protist community structure in freshwater pond microhabitats.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The 'morphospecies' concept is a preliminary step, needing future genetic and ecological data for refinement.
  • Protists, both sexual and asexual, may form DNA sequence-similarity clusters, suggesting cohesive forces.
  • A freshwater ciliate community demonstrated the partitioning of a stratified water column into potential ecological niches, with around 40 morphospecies coexisting.

Conclusions:

  • Taxonomic challenges in protists are comparable to those in other kingdoms, not uniquely severe.
  • Further research on clonality, ecological niches, and their boundaries is crucial for advancing protist taxonomy.
  • An integrated approach, exemplified by the Pfiesteria case, is vital for resolving taxonomic issues in protists.