Protistology 1 (4), 179-184 (2000) August, 2000
Protistology
Data on the occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex world-wide
Ewa Przybos and Sergei Fokin1
Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland,
1 Biological Research Institute of St. Petersburg State University, St.
Petersburg, Russia
Summary
At present 15 species of the Paramecium aurelia complex are known world-wide (Sonneborn, 1975; Aufderheide et al., 1983). Data on their distribution in the Americas, Africa, and Australia are mainly in the papers cited above, the following ones are cosmopolitan: P. primaurelia, P. biaurelia, P. tetraurelia, and P. sexaurelia. Data on the distribution of species of the P. aurelia complex in Asia are scattered in the literature and rather rare, P. primaurelia, P. biaurelia, P. tetraurelia, P. sexaurelia, and P. novaurelia were there recorded. The greatest data on distribution and frequency of occurrence of the particular species of the P. aurelia complex concerns Europe. As far as Europe is concerned, the following conclusions were drawn: P. novaurelia is a dominant species (found in 178 habitats among 459 studied), P. biaurelia is a frequent one (in 151 habitats), while P. primaurelia (in 103 habitats) is also characteristic but less frequent. Other species known from Europe are rare.
Key words: frequency of species occurrence, geographical distribution, Paramecium aurelia spp. complex
At present 15 species of the P. aurelia complex are known world-wide (Sonneborn,1975; Aufderheide et al., 1983).
Data on their distribution in the Americas, Africa, and Australia are mainly in the papers cited above (Table 1). Among known species of the complex the following ones are cosmopolitan: P. primaurelia, P. biaurelia, P. tetraurelia, and P. sexaurelia. Some of the species were found in two continents, i.e. P. octaurelia and P. tredecaurelia, while others are known from the USA alone (P. septaurelia, P. decaurelia, P. undecaurelia, P. dodecaurelia, and P. sonneborni) or only from Australia (P. quadecaurelia).
Data on the distribution of species of the P. aurelia complex in Asia (Table 2) are scattered in the literature and rather rare. The species were recorded in 31 habitats, P biaurelia appearing in 14, P primaurelia in 9, while both species are rather widely distributed. P. tetraurelia was found in 4 habitats, P sexaurelia in 3, and P novaurelia in 1 only. The last finding seems very interesting as that species was regarded as restricted to Europe alone (Sonneborn, 1975) but more recently Przybos (1998b) recorded it in Turkey (Anatolian Upland).
The greatest data on distribution and frequency of
occurrence of the particular species of the P aurelia complex concerns Europe (Table 3). The following species have been recorded there: P. primaurelia, P. biaurelia, P. triaurelia, P. tetraurelia, P. pentaurelia, P. sexaurelia, P. novaurelia, and P tredecaurelia (Przybos, 1991). Recently, P octaurelia was found in Western Germany (Stoeck and Schmidt, 1998). The number of investigated clones and habitats (Table 3) as well as the ratio value (r.v.), i.e. the number of habitats for a defined species to the total number of habitats in the area (country or zone) were taken into consideration (Table 4) when the frequency of species occurrence was estimated.
As far as Europe is concerned, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. P novaurelia is a dominant species (r. v. 0.39, found in 178 habitats among 459 studied in Europe), P. biaurelia is a frequent one (r. v. 0.33, in 151 habitats), while P primaurelia (r. v. 0.22, in 103 habitats) is also characteristic but less frequent.
2. P tetraurelia (r. v. 0.05, in 25 habitats) and P triaurelia r.v. 0.04, in 17 habitats) are rather rare, while other species very rare, i.e. P sexaurelia (r. v. 0.01, in 5 habitats), P. pentaurelia (r. v. 0. 007, in 3 habitats and only in southern Europe), P octaurelia (r.v. 0.004, in
© 2000 by Russia, Protistology.
Table 1. Occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex in the Americas, Africa, Australia (data from: Sonneborn 1975; Aufderheifde et al. 1983)
Continent or country P. primaurelia a 1 u ia •S .P P. triaurelis P. tetraurelia P. pentaurelia a 1 u Ü s P. P. septaurelia a 1 u 1 a P. P. novaurelia ** P. decaurelia P. undecaurelia a aielur 1 1 .P a liaer 1 ecd £ P. P. quadecaurelia 1 e n nnos s P.
Northern America + + + + + + + + - + + + +
Central America + + + + +
Southern America + + +
Hawai +
New Zealand +
Australia + + +
Kenya +
Uganda +
Madagascar +
** Known from Europe only (Sonneborn, 1975), found in Asia (Przybos, 1998b).
2 habitats), and P tredecaurelia (r. v. 0.002, in 1 habitat).
3. Nevertheless, a different number of habitats were studied in the particular zones, 21 in the northern, 363 in the central, and 75 in the southern zone, the prevailing number of habitats originating in the central zone, and mainly in Poland. Of the total number of 363 studied habitats in that zone, 286 were situated in Poland. We can assume that not all Paramecium species have world-wide distribution, as a result of our sampling done in different parts of the world and extract from the literature (Przybos and Fokin, 2000b). Because some species of P aurelia complex as well as a part of other paramecia cannot be considered as a cosmopolitan, we have to expect an interesting sampling in some places of the world which were not yet checked for ciliate fauna. Not so much sampling was done in the Southern Hemisphere so far. Thus, it is possible to expect a discovery somewhere even a new Paramecium species.
References
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Table 2. Occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex in Asia
Country or region Number of known strains and habitas (in brackets) References
P. primaurelia P. biaurelia P. tetraurelia P. sexaurelia P. novaurelia Total
Japan 7(4) 7(7) 4(3) 18(4) Sonnebom, 1950; Kosciuszko and Koizumi,
1984
Russia 1(1) 3(3) 4(4) Daggett, 1978; Preer et al. 1974; Kosciuszko,
(Far East) 1985; Przybos and Fokin, 1996
Vietnam 1(1) 1(1) Przybos and Fokin, 1996
Thailand 2(2) 2(2) Daggett, 1978; Przybos and Fokin, 2000 a,b
India 9(1) 9(1) Sonneborn, 1974
Turkmenia 1(1) 1(1) Daggett, 1978
Georgia 3(3) 3(3) Daggett, 1978; Kosciuszko, 1985
Turkey 1(1) 1(1) Przybos, 1998b
Lebanon 2(1) 2(1) Sonneborn, 1974
Israel 2(2) 1(1) 3(3) Przybos, 1995; Przybos and Fokin, 1999
Total 12(9) 15(14) 5(4) 11(3) 1(1) 44(31)
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Table 3. Occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex in Europe
Region (temperature zone) Number of studied clones and habitats (in brackets) References
P. primaurelia P. biaurelia ia 1 u ai P. tetraurelia P. pentaurelia P. sexaurelia P. octaurelia ia ile s a § n .P P. tredecaurelia Total
Northern Sweden 41 62 101 Kosciuszko and Prajer, 1991
(2) (2) (3)*
Norway 1 1 Sonneborn, 1956**
(1) (1)
Finland 11 6 54 71 Kosciuszko and Prajer, 1988
(2) (1) (2) (5)
Russia 112 13 1 58 184 Komala and Dubis, 1966;
(7) (4) (1) (7) (12)* Kosciuszko, 1985; Przybos and
Fokin, 1996
Central Great 1 3 1 2 7 Sonneborn, 1956; Tait et al.
Britain (1) (3) (1) (2) (7) 1971**
Poland 341 557 15 77 763 1753 Przybos and Komala, 1993
(56) (56) (3) (9) (122) (286)* (ref. since 1959), 1996, 1997;
Komala and Przybos, 1994,
1999, 2000; Komala 1997, 1998
a, 1998b, 1998c
Ukraine 2 8 16 32 58 Przybos and Chornobai, 1994,
(2) (2) (5) (8) (17)* 1998; Przybos, 1997
Czech 86 18 1 95 200 Komala and Kosciuszko, 1963;
Republic (13) (2) (1) (9) (21)* Komala and Przybos, 1992;
Przybos and Komala, 1992
Slovakia 7 51 58 Dubis and Komala, 1964 (data
(3) (6) (7)* from: Komala, 1994)
Germany 12 1 14 11 17 56 Przybos and Fokin, 1997;
(7) (1) (2) (2) (7) (19)* Sonneborn, 1956, 1974**;
Stoeck and Schmidt, 1998
France 1 1 1 1 4 Sonneborn, 1956; Rafalko and
(1) (1) (1) (1) (4) Sonneborn, 1959
Holland 1 1 Sonneborn et al. 1959**
(1) (1)
Switzerland 1 1 Sonneborn, 1956
(1) (1)
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Przybos E. 1980. Distribution of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex in Spain. Folia biol. (Krakow). 28, 405-412.
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Table 3. Contination
Southern Italy 19 (4) 10 (3) 1 (1) 28 (8) Sonneborn, 1956; Sonneborn et al., 1959; Komala and Dubis, 1965; Przybos, 1998a
Hungary 42 15 1 16 74 Kosciuszko, 1964
(13) (5) (1) (9) (27)*
Bulgaria 2 3 1 1 7 Komala, 1961**; Komala and
(2) (3) (1) (1) (5)* Kosciuszko, 1963
Romania 6 18 9 3 26 62 Przybos, 1968
(2) (4) (2) (1) (4) (12)*
Greece 21 (1) 21 (1) Przybos, 1996; Przybos, and Lekka, 2000
Spain 96 91 9 48 1 2 39 286 Przybos, 1980, 1990, 1991,
(11) (7) (3) (4) (1) (2) (4) (22)* 1993
Total 628 870 69 187 5 37 11 1167 1 2975
(103) (151) (17) (25) (3) (5) (2) (178) (1) (459)*
* Some species appear together in one habitat.
** Without detailed data concerning the number of the studied clones.
Table 4. Frequency of occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex in the temperature zones in Europe
Ratio value of particular species
Zone .18 1 | "C P. biaurelia ia 1 u ia iS P. P. tetraurelia P. pentaurelia P. sexaurelia P. octaurelia P. novaurelia P. tredecaurelia Total number of studied clones and habitats (in brackets)
Northern 0.33 0.43 0.05 0.05 - - - 0.52 - 369 (21)
Central 0.18 0.34 0.03 0.05 - 0.005 0.005 0.41 0.003 2138 (363)
Southern 0.43 0.27 0.07 0.08 0.04 0.04 - 0.24 - 478 (75)
Total ratio value 0.22 0.33 0.04 0.05 0.007 0.01 0.004 0.39 0.002 2975 (459)
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Address for correspondence: Ewa Przybos. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow 31-016, Slawkowska 17, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]