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Diversity of Protists I

Diversity of Protists I

Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...

Diversity of Protists IV

Diversity of Protists IV

Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...

Diversity of Protists II

Diversity of Protists II

Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...

Diversity of Protists III

Diversity of Protists III

Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Compost Microcosms as Microbially Diverse, Natural-like Environments for Microbiome Research in Caenorhabditis elegans

Compost Microcosms as Microbially Diverse, Natural-like Environments for Microbiome Research in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: September 13, 2022

Community conservatism is widespread across microbial phyla and environments.

Lukas Malfertheiner¹, Janko Tackmann¹, João Frederico Matias Rodrigues¹

¹Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Nature Ecology & Evolution

|January 16, 2026

Summary

Closely related microbial species often inhabit similar ecological niches, a phenomenon termed community conservatism. This global pattern, observed across diverse environments and microbial groups, advances understanding of microbial evolution and community assembly.

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Published on: July 24, 2018

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Ecology

Background:

Phylogenetic signal and niche conservatism are established concepts in animals and plants, explaining evolutionary relatedness and ecological similarity.
Assessing these concepts in microorganisms is challenging due to their unique characteristics and vast diversity.
Understanding microbial ecological similarity is crucial for fields like evolution, speciation, and community assembly.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that closely related microbial species inhabit similar ecological niches.
To introduce and define the concept of 'community conservatism' for microorganisms.
To assess the prevalence and extent of community conservatism across microbial life.

Main Methods:

Leveraged a large database containing millions of microbial samples and hundreds of thousands of microorganism pairs.
Analyzed the relatedness of microbial species and the similarity of their occupied community compositions.
Examined community conservatism across various environments, microbial phyla, and taxonomic ranks.

Main Results:

Community conservatism is a widespread phenomenon observable globally in microorganisms.
The extent of community conservatism varies across different environments, phyla, and taxonomic levels.
Findings support the ecological similarity of closely related microbial species.

Conclusions:

Community conservatism is a significant factor in microbial evolution and speciation.
This concept offers new insights into the mechanisms governing microbial community assembly.
Community conservatism can be integrated with ecological data for improved operational taxonomic unit delimitation.