Molecular phylogeny and systematics in lobose testate amoebae (Arcellinida)

• Applicant: Dr. Ralf Meisterfeld
• Subject Area: Systematics and Morphology (Zoology)
• Term: from 2008 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 70653807

Testate lobose amoebae (Arcellinidae) are the largest group of testate amoebae. They are present worldwide in almost all aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Due to their test these amoebae fossilize very well making them a valuable tool in paleobiology and paleoecology to reconstruct environmental change. For practical reasons classification is largely based on test characters but these characters are influenced by external factors and therefore the variability and plasticity of morphospecies is large. The result is an uncertainty how to delimit even common and abundant species. In this project we want to reconstruct the molecular phylogeny of the Arcellidae and reevaluate their position in the order Arcellinida. We plan to develop a framework for the classification of Arcella-species that combines molecular (SSU-, LSU rDNA and ITS) and morphological characters. Our aim is it to clarify the species boundaries of widely distributed but probably collective morphospecies. A central aspect is the question whether local populations of these species are composed of many different strains or cryptic species and how these are distributed geographically in Germany and Hungary.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Hungary
• Participating Person: Dr. Júlia Katalin Török