Species delimitation for the molecular taxonomy and ecology of the widely distributed microbial eukaryote genus euplotes (Alveolata, Ciliophora)

Abstract

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and metabarcoding technologies are revolutionizing our understanding of the diversity and ecology of microbial eukaryotes (protists). The interpretation of protist diversity and the elucidation of their ecosystem function are, however, impeded by problems with species delimitation, especially as it applies to molecular taxonomy. Here, using the ciliate Euplotes as an example, we describe approaches for species delimitation based on integrative taxonomy by using evolutionary and ecological perspectives and selecting the most appropriate metabarcoding gene markers as proxies for species units. Our analyses show that: Euplotes (sensu lato) comprises six distinct clades, mainly as result of ecological speciation; the validity of the genera Euplotes (sensu stricto), Euplotoides, Euplotopsis and Moneuplotes are not supported; the vannus-type group, which includes species without distinct morphological differences, seems to be undergoing incipient speciation and contains cryptic species; the hypervariable V4 region of the small subunit rDNA and D1–D2 region of the large subunit rDNA are the promising candidates for general species delimitation in Euplotes.