Two Different Size-Distributions of Engulfment-Related Vesicles Among Symbiotic Protists of the Lower Termite, Reticulitermes speratus

Abstract

We analyzed symbiotic protistan engulfment systems using the method of fluorescent imaging. Symbiotic protists can be divided into two protistan groups, Type S (protists that contain uniformly small and spherical vesicles) and Type L (protists that contain vesicles that vary in both size and form). This classification corresponds not to the taxonomic classification, but to the micro-habitats of the protists. Our results suggested that these protists might have adapted to different resources in the hindgut environment of lower termites. © 2004, Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology & The Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology. All rights reserved.