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The term “free-living amoebae” (FLA) delimits a rather heterogeneous group of organisms of the obligate parasitic amoeba (e.g., Entamoeba histolytica); however, it has no phylogenetic, systematic, and taxonomic relevance (Walochnik and Aspöck 2007). The free-living amoebae, occasionally called “limax amoebae,” live ubiquitous in many humid habitats as components of biocenoses. The trophozoites feed as aerobic, heterotrophic predators on algae, bacteria, cyanobacteria, and fungi, as well as smaller protozoa. They even serve as prey for other microorganisms, such as for amoebophagous fungi. FLA can be found especially in biofilms on various surfaces and substrates. As resistant life stage, a cyst is formed in some species, which largely protects from adverse environmental conditions and therefore provides an enormous tenacity.
Since the FLA feed on bacteria, they affect the microbial community and reinforce the return of nutrients in the soil. By their heterotrophic...
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Scheid, P.L. (2016). Free-Living Amoebae (FLA), Introduction. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_3465
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