Summary
Laboratory growth rates of six species of Gymnamoebia, isolated from English chalk streams and cultured on bacteria, have been determined at four different temperatures. Generation times ranged from 4.46 to 33.3 h. A linear relationship between log10 specific growth rate and the reciprocal of the absolute temperature was demonstrated for four species. A significant regression of log10 generation time on log10 cell volume was obtained for data on amoebae in combination with data on ciliates taken from the literature. This regression may be used to predict the growth rates of other species of amoebae and ciliates of known cell volume.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker JH (1974) The use of a temperature-gradient incubator to investigate the temperature characteristic of some bacteria from Antarctic peat. Br Antarct Surv Bull No 39:49–59
Baldock BM, Baker JH (1980) The occurrence and growth rates of Polychaos fasciculatum, a re-discovered amoeba. Protistologica 16:79–83
Byers TJ, Rudick VL, Rudick MJ (1969) Cell size, macromolecule composition, nuclear number, oxygen consumption and cyst formation during two growth phases in unagitated cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii. J Protozool 16:693–699
Casey H, Newton PVR (1973) The chemical composition and flow of the River Frome and its main tributaries. Freshwat Biol 3:317–333
Curds CR, Cockburn A (1971) Continuous monoxenic culture of Tetrahymena pyriformis. J Gen Microbiol 66:95–108
Department of the Environment (Welsh Office) (1978) River pollution survey of England and Wales. Updated 1975. H.M.S.O., London
Fenchel T (1968) The ecology of the marine microbenthos III. The reproductive potential of ciliates. Ophelia 5:123–136
Fenchel T (1974) Intrinsic rate of natural increase; the relationship with body size. Oecologia (Berl) 4:317–326
Finlay BJ (1977) The dependence of reproductive rate on cell size and temperature in freshwater ciliated protozoa. Oecologia (Berl) 30:75–81
Hanus FJ, Morita RY (1968) Significance of the temperature characteristic of growth. J Bact 95:736–737
Heal OW (1967) Quantitative feeding studies on soil amoebae. In: O Graff and JE Satchell (eds), Progress in soil biology. Vieweg, Braunschweig, p 120–126
Holst-Sørensen H, Rasmussen L (1971) Growth prmoting effects of particulate material in cultures of Acanthamoeba. C r Trav Lab Carlsberg 38:163–170
Laybourn JEM, Stewart JM (1975) Studies on consumption and growth in the ciliate Colpidium campylum Stokes. J Anim Ecol 44:165–174
Mitchell WH (1929) The division rate of Paramecium in relation to temperature. J Exp Zool 54:383–410
Pace DM, Frost BL (1952) Effects of ethyl alcohol on growth and respration of Pelomyxa carolinensis. Biol Bull mar Biol Lab, Woods Hole 103:97–103
Page FC (1967) Taxonomic criteria for limax amoebae, with descriptions of 3 new species of Hartmannella and 3 of Vahlkampfia. J Protozool 14:499–521
Page FC (1976) An illustrated key to the freshwater and soil amoebae with notes on cultivation and ecology. Freshwater Biological Association Scientific Publication No. 34, Ambleside: FBA p 155
Phelps A (1946) Growth of protozoa in pure culture. III. Effects of temperature upon the division rate. J Exp Zool 102:177–192
Pinder LCV (1974) The Chironomidae of a small chalk stream in southern England Ent Tidskr 95:195–202
Rogerson A (1978) The energetics of Amoeba proteus Leidy. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Stirling, p 354
Rogerson A (1980) Generation times and reproductive rates of Amoeba proteus (Leidy) as influenced by temperature and food concentration. Can J Zool 58:543–548
Rogerson A (in Microbial Ecology prep.) The ecological energetics of Amoeba proteus (Protozoa)
Snedecor GW, Cochran WG (1967) Statistical methods, 6th ed., Iowa State University Press Iowa p 593
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1969) Biometry. The principles and practice of statistics in biological research. Freeman San Francisco p 776
Taylor WD (1978a) Maximum growth rate, size and commonness in a community of bactivorous ciliates. Oecologia (Berl) 36:263–272
Taylor WD (1978b) Growth responses of ciliate protozoa to the abundance of their bacterial prey. Microbial Ecology 4:207–214
Taylor WD, Berger J (1976a) Growth of Colpidium campylum in monoxenic batch culture. Can J Zool 54:392–398
Taylor WD, Berger J (1976b) Growth responses of cohabiting ciliate protozoa to various prey bacteria. Can J Zool 54:1111–1114
Thormar H (1962) Effect of temperature on the reproduction rate of Tetrahymena pyriformis. Exp Cell Res 28:269–279
Westlake DF, Casey H, Dawson FH, Ladle M, Mann RHK, Marker AFH (1972) The chalk stream ecosystem. In: Z Kajak and A Hillbricht-Ilkowska (eds) Productivity problems of freshwaters. Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, p 615–635
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baldock, B.M., Baker, J.H. & Sleigh, M.A. Laboratory growth rates of six species of freshwater Gymnamoebia. Oecologia 47, 156–159 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00346813
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00346813