Myxomycetes

Stephenson, Steven L.; Schnittler, Martin

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28149-0_44

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…Myxogastrids are the most species-rich group in the myxomycetes and are also known as plasmodial slime moulds. They have complex life cycles, which consist of unicellular and plasmodial phases [ 35 , 43 ] ( Figure 1 B). In the unicellular phase, they feed on bacteria, while either in amoeboid or in flagellate form (collectively called “amoeboflagellate”), depending on the environmental conditions.…”

Section: A Parallel World Of Multicellular Complexity: the Evolution Of Social Amoebasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in The Dictyostelid Social Amoebas

Kin

Schaap

2021

Genes

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Multicellularity evolved repeatedly in the history of life, but how it unfolded varies greatly between different lineages. Dictyostelid social amoebas offer a good system to study the evolution of multicellular complexity, with a well-resolved phylogeny and molecular genetic tools being available. We compare the life cycles of the Dictyostelids with closely related amoebozoans to show that complex life cycles were already present in the unicellular common ancestor of Dictyostelids. We propose frost resistance as an early driver of multicellular evolution in Dictyostelids and show that the cell signalling pathways for differentiating spore and stalk cells evolved from that for encystation. The stalk cell differentiation program was further modified, possibly through gene duplication, to evolve a new cell type, cup cells, in Group 4 Dictyostelids. Studies in various multicellular organisms, including Dictyostelids, volvocine algae, and metazoans, suggest as a common principle in the evolution of multicellular complexity that unicellular regulatory programs for adapting to environmental change serve as “proto-cell types” for subsequent evolution of multicellular organisms. Later, new cell types could further evolve by duplicating and diversifying the “proto-cell type” gene regulatory networks.

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Section: A Parallel World Of Multicellular Complexity: the Evolution Of Social Amoebasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in The Dictyostelid Social Amoebas

Kin

Schaap

2021

Genes

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“…Examples are the parasitic roundworm Parastrongyloides trichosuri that infects the brushtail possum, living in Australia and New Zealand (Garcia 1999 ; Hunt et al 2016 ), or species of the mosquito genera Culex and Aedes , that are not occurring in southern Germany (Biogents 2016 ; Samy et al 2016 ). We additionally identified the genera Didymium and Cavenderia of the class Eumycetozoa , that comprises groups like true slime molds, or protosteloid amoebae (Stephenson and Schnittler 2017 ). They can be found in terrestrial ecosystems or freshwater and function as bacterivores, predators of fungi and bacteria, and recycler of nutrients, making a domestic kitchen sponge an attractive habitat for them (Spiegel et al 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minority report: small-scale metagenomic analysis of the non-bacterial kitchen sponge microbiota

et al. 2022

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Kitchen sponges are particularly well known to harbor a high number and diversity of bacteria, including pathogens. Viruses, archaea, and eukaryotes in kitchen sponges, however, have not been examined in detail so far. To increase knowledge on the non-bacterial kitchen sponge microbiota and its potential hygienic relevance, we investigated five used kitchen sponges by means of metagenomic shot-gun sequencing. Viral particles were sought to be enriched by a filter step during DNA extraction from the sponges. Data analysis revealed that ~ 2% of the sequences could be assigned to non-bacterial taxa. Each sponge harbored different virus (phage) species, while the present archaea were predominantly affiliated with halophilic taxa. Among the eukaryotic taxa, besides harmless algae, or amoebas, mainly DNA from food-left-overs was found. The presented work offers new insights into the complex microbiota of used kitchen sponges and contributes to a better understanding of their hygienic relevance.

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“…The life cycle of Ph. albescens involves the formation of a colony of usually stalked sporocarps ( Schnittler et al, 2012 ; Stephenson & Schnittler, 2017 ), each containing between 0.5 to 2.5 million spores ( Schnittler & Tesmer, 2008 ). For each colony, spores of five sporocarps were analyzed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A workflow for low-cost automated image analysis of myxomycete spore numbers, size and shape

Woyzichovski

Shchepin

Dagamac

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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Measuring spore size is a standard method for the description of fungal taxa, but in manual microscopic analyses the number of spores that can be measured and information on their morphological traits are typically limited. To overcome this weakness we present a method to analyze the size and shape of large numbers of spherical bodies, such as spores or pollen, by using inexpensive equipment. A spore suspension mounted on a slide is treated with a low-cost, high-vibration device to distribute spores uniformly in a single layer without overlap. Subsequently, 10,000 to 50,000 objects per slide are measured by automated image analysis. The workflow involves (1) slide preparation, (2) automated image acquisition by light microscopy, (3) filtering to separate high-density clusters, (4) image segmentation by applying a machine learning software, Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA), and (5) statistical evaluation of the results. The technique produced consistent results and compared favorably with manual measurements in terms of precision. Moreover, measuring spore size distribution yields information not obtained by manual microscopic analyses, as shown for the myxomycete Physarum albescens. The exact size distribution of spores revealed irregularities in spore formation resulting from the influence of environmental conditions on spore maturation. A comparison of the spore size distribution within and between sporocarp colonies showed large environmental and likely genetic variation. In addition, the comparison identified specimens with spores roughly twice the normal size. The successful implementation of the presented method for analyzing myxomycete spores also suggests potential for other applications.

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Myxomycetes

Cited by 11 publications

References 103 publications

Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in The Dictyostelid Social Amoebas

Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in The Dictyostelid Social Amoebas

Minority report: small-scale metagenomic analysis of the non-bacterial kitchen sponge microbiota

A workflow for low-cost automated image analysis of myxomycete spore numbers, size and shape

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