Hi everybody,

may I introduce you to another member of the ciliate family.

This fellow is most likely to be a Prorodon. I am not completely sure
because these are hard to identify; their resemblance to other ciliates
can be very strong.

Prorodon's nucleus can be seen in the upper middle of its body. There is
also a nucleolus which is not visible in this shot; I'll bring another
one later where it can be seen.

Unlike other ciliates Prorodon has its mouth right at the top. The
mouth, however, cannot be seen in this shot; compared to other ciliates
such as Paramecium or the first member of the ciliate family I posted
(the one with the mouth funnel which, as I meanwhile found out, may be a
Nassula) Prorodon's mouth seems tiny in size. I may show you another
shot where the mouth can be seen.

Most surprisingly, Prorodon is able to swallow algae of substantial
size: The two coffin-like organisms within Prorodon are algae called
diatomeae; these are coated by a solid shell made of silicic acid
providing protection from most predators but not from a hungry Prorodon.

By the way, if you see a bulk of algae in a ciliate's body showing no
signs of digestion (such as colour change, loss of shape) it is likely
to be a sort of symbiosis. Prorodon is known for such symbiosis; the
small, round-shaped, light-green algae distributed all over its body are
symbiotic partners of Prorodon. Nevertheless, Prorodon has the mean
habit of from time to time turning the process of symbiosis into one of
digestion if other food lacks.

As far as I know, cooperation in human economy often goes similar ways
:-)

More of the mean world of ciliates to come.

See you,

Ralf

name="Prorodon.jpg"