The undiscovered country: ten grand challenges in rotifer biology

Wallace, Robert L.; Hochberg, Rick; Walsh, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1007/s10750-023-05247-x

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 234 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…But it also impedes advancing knowledge in other kinds of biodiversity knowledge: i.e., understanding ecological function, abiotic tolerances, and species interactions: the Raunkiaeran, Hutchinsonian, Eltonian shortfalls, respectively (Diniz-Filho et al 2023;Hortal et al 2015). While these knowledge gaps are replete throughout all biology, they are critical for micrometazoans because of the fundamental roles they play in food web dynamics including the microbial loop (Glibert & Mitra 2022) and their importance in other avenues of research including aquaculture, aging, and toxicology (Wallace et al 2023). It is also important that these gaps be filled to develop complete phylogenies (Sørensen & Giribet 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key to sessile gnesiotrochan rotifers: Floscularia (Monogononta; Flosculariidae)

LAFLEUR,

DAVIES,

HOCHBERG

et al. 2024

Zootaxa

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Correct identification of species is necessary if we are to understand their biology, ecology, and evolutionary history, as well as to catalog their global biodiversity. This is acutely critical for many micrometazoans like rotifers, which are often difficult to identify because of their small size and complicated morphologies. Rotifers are ubiquitous micrometazoans that are found worldwide in fresh, brackish, and some marine waters. However, their study is hindered by a lack of both taxonomic expertise and concomitantly adequate guides to the identification of some taxa. These deficiencies are particularly true for the sessile species. To help alleviate these impediments, we assembled information from the literature on easily recognizable characters of all nine valid species in one notable genus: Floscularia (Monogononta; Gnesiotrocha; Flosculariidae). Using that information we developed a simple, dichotomous key to enable workers to identify species in this genus. Our key emphasizes easily observable characters of adult female morphology, including features of their tubes, anterior ends, trophi, and colony formation abilities, thereby allowing for relatively quick identification.

show abstract