Ruth L. Willey

The organization of zooplankton epibiont communities.

Recent findings suggest that a diverse set of interactions exists between crustacean zooplankton and the algae, protozoans and metazoans that live attached to them. The frequent molting of the crustacean exoskeleton keeps these epibiont populations in a state of constant renewal and makes this epibiont community an ideal experimental system for examining the organization of communities whose populations are distributed among ephemeral habitat patches.

A cytostome/cytopharynx in green euglenoid flagellates (euglenales) and its phylogenetic implications

The green, phototrophic euglenoid, Colacium libellae, has a vestigial cytostome and cytopharynx. The membrane forming the simple pocket is decorated with a dense, microfilamentous mesh. The mesh binds the pocket to a band of reinforcing microtubules which is homologous with the bodonid MTR. The opening of the cytostome at the reservoir-canal transition zone implies that the phototrophic euglenoid canal is formed by the invagination of the vestibulum of the phagotrophic euglenoids. Our observations support the hypothesis that the phagotrophic euglenoids arose from a bondonid ancestor and gave rise to the phototrophs by chloroplast acquisition.

THE RESERVOIR CYTOSKELETON AND A POSSIBLE CYTOSTOMAL HOMOLOGUE IN COLACIUM (EUGLENOPHYCEAE)1

The reservoir cytoskeleton of Colacium Ehrenberg is formed of three bands of microtubules. The microtubules of the dorsal band (DMT) become doublets and are continuous with the longitudinal microtubules of the canal and, therefore, of the pellicle. A band of para‐reservoir microtubules (PMT) acts as a linkage between the edges of the dorsal band at the formation of the canal. The third band of microtubules (MTR), more ventral, branches away from the reservoir‐canal transition region and forms a supportive band for a pocket formed from the reservoir membrane. The outer part of the pocket membrane is closely invested with a fibrillar mesh. The pocket of Colacium, a green euglenoid, resembles structurally the cytopharynx of the colorless phagotrophic euglenoids, Isonema papillatum and the bodonid flagellates. The homologies support the hypothesis of euglenoid derivation from the kinetoplastid flagellates.

FLAGELLAR ROOTS AND THE RESERVOIR CYTOSKELETON OF COLACIUM LIBELLAE (EUGLENOPHYCEAE)

The three flagellar roots of Colacium Ehrenberg give rise to the three microtublar bands of the reservoir cytoskeleton. The dorsal root (DR) originates at the basal body (bb1) of the emergent flagellum. It is initiated on the left side of the cell, runs toward the right side under the posterior end of the reservoir and thence anteriorly in a spiral path over the dorsal surface of the reservoir until it terminates on the left side of the eyespot. Along its length, it appears to initiate a dorsal band (DB) which forms the major dorsal portion of the reservoir cytoskeleton—the dorsal microtubules (DMT). Two roots originate at the basal body (bb2) of the non‐emergent flagellum. The ventral root (VR) runs up the left side of the cell and initiates the band of microtubules which forms part of the presumptive vestigial cytopharynx. Therefore, it forms the reinforcing microtubules (MTR) of Colacium. The intermediate root (IR) forms the para‐reservoir microtubules (PMT). Flagellar root correlation with the reservoir cytoskeletal bands strengthens their homologies with the bodonid bands and further supports the hypothesis that the euglenoids are derived from the kinetoplastid flagellates.

DEVELOPMENT OF MUCILAGINOUS SURFACES IN EUGLENOIDS. I. STALK MORPHOLOGY OF COLACIUM MUCRONATUM1

The envelope and stalk of Colacium mucronatum Bourr. & Chad, were examined in living cells with light microscopy and in fixed preparations with scanning electron microscopy using critically point dried (CPD) and freeze dried (FD) preparations. The envelope of palmelloid cells is formed over the entire cell surface by many individual strands attached at right angles to areas of articulation of the pellicular strips. Strands were observed to anastomose on the posterior tip of otherwise naked cells. Stalks of living cells in India ink preparations had an optically dark inner core with a lighter outer sheath. In FD stalks a definite inner core was not evident, whereas CPD stalks had an outer surface composed of thick strands which may be the collapsed and aggregated strands of the FD stalks. In both there was also an amorphous matrix. The stalk forms from the aggregation of many strands from the anterior cell tip back to a point encompassing the cell surface anterior to a cross section of the tip 9 μm diam. The outer surface of the stalk comes from the pellicular surface joining that area and the core from the cell tip in the area of the canal opening. Any possible participation of the inner canal surface in stalk formation could not be determined because of the great density of the mucilage at the cell‐tip/stalk junction.

COLONIZATION AND REPRODUCTION OF THE EPIBIOTIC FLAGELLATE COLACIUM VESICULOSUM (EUGLENOPHYCEAE) ON DAPHNIA PULEX1

The epibiotic flagellate Colacium vesiculosum Pringsheim attaches to planktonic species of Daphnia in freshwater habitats. Previous studies found that prevalence (percentage of substrate organisms carrying attached epibionts) and intensity (number of attached epibionts on a given substrate organism) are low early in the Daphnia intermolt period and are high late in the intermolt period. We tested the hypothesis that increases of Colacium cells attached to Daphnia occur both by rapid initial and continuous colonization and by cell reproduction. Epibiont prevalence and intensities were determined at successive intermolt stages of Daphnia pulex Leydig collected from freshwater ponds in Colorado. Colonization was continuous throughout the intermolt period and was most important to epibiont population increase at the beginning of the intermolt period. Cell division was the major contributor to epibiont increase at the end of the intermolt period.

The development of a cell-substrate attachment system in a euglenoid flagellate.

The transition of the euglenoid Colacium libellae from the free-swimming flagellated to the nonflagellated stage attached by a stalk occurs in three distinct stages: (1) initial attachment, perhaps by the flagellum, (2) substrage contact by the anterior region of the cell concomitant with attachment disc formation, and (3) the extrusion of stalk material. The flagellum is resorbed within minutes of initial attachment. Polysaccharide and acid phosphatase derived from within intracellular cisternae initially accumulate in the reservoir, then transfer to the canal and finally become incorporated into the stalk, thus delineating the source and routte of transport for most stalk material. Indeed, the inner “shaft” and central “core” of the stalk contain a neutral polysaccharide that is continuous with similar material found in the reservoir and canal. The peripheral region of the stalk (the “cortex”), however, contains a polyanionic polysaccharide which may be extruded by a special secretory system composed of a ring of granules and canals located beneth the anterior pellicle of the organism.

HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF THE EXTRACELLULAR CARBOHYDRATE OF COLACIUM MUCRONATUM (EUGLENOPHYCEAE)1

The stalk of Colacium mucronatum Bourr. & Chad. is composed primarily of a cylindrical shaft with a lightly staining inner core and diffuse peripheral cortex. The shaft and cortex arise from a ring‐shaped region around the canal opening whereas the core appears continuous with the canal which may be associated with initial cell attachment. All parts of the stalk, as well as the lining and contents of the reservoir, canal and flagellum exhibit stain reactions associated with neutral or mildly acidic carbohydrate with widely spaced anionic groups in low concentration.

Visual and Acoustical Social Displays by the Grasshopper Arphia Conspersa (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Many species of the Oedipodinae (band-wing grasshoppers) exhibit strikingly diverse social interactions invoking visual and acoustical communication between the sexes and between individuals of the same sex (Otte, 1968, 1969).

Changes in epibiotic burden during the intermolt of Daphnia determined by hypodermal retraction stages

We calibrated four stages of hypodermal retraction and cuticle regeneration with five stages of parthenogenetic egg development in Daphnia. Using the hypodermal retraction stages, we found that epibiotic burden increased with elapsed intermolt time for juvenile, male, and female Daphnia bearing parthenogenetic or ephippial eggs. The rate of increase of burden was similar for adult females of two Daphnia species and for males and females of D. pulex. Rate of increase of burden was similar between juvenile and adult females of D. galeata mendotae and D. pulex.