Re:Provora: tiny predators that have been evolving separatel...
by adolph on Friday April 28, 2023 @10:02AM
(#35741373)
Provora is a proposed supergroup of eukaryotes made up of predatory microbes, "devouring voracious protists". It was reported that ten strains were isolated and cultured in 2022. They are predators of other microorganisms. Their discovery was very delayed, compared to other microorganisms in their environments, due to their rarity.
The Provora supergroup is genetically, morphologically and behaviourally distinct from other eukaryotes, and comprises two divergent clades of predators—Nebulidia and Nibbleridia—that are superficially similar to each other, but differ fundamentally in ultrastructure, behaviour and gene content. These predators are globally distributed in marine and freshwater environments, but are numerically rare and have consequently been overlooked by molecular-diversity surveys.
Re:Provora: tiny predators that have been evolving separatel...
by cwmma on Friday April 28, 2023 @11:46AM
(#35742774)
So traditionally, the eukaryotes are organized into Fungi, Plants, and Animals plus Protists which are basically a waste bin taxon for everything else, so it's not surprising at all that there is going to be some radically divergent groups in there.
Re:Provora: tiny predators that have been evolving separatel...
by moritzwarhier on Friday April 28, 2023 @05:41PM
(#35747433)
> All around us, and even inside us, tens of trillions of microbes are locked in endless battle. Bacteria, microscopic fungi, amoebas, tardigrades and other tiny critters have evolved weapons of mass destruction, such as toxins, biofilms and specialized enzymes, in order to wage war against one another.
> But despite all this action, humans have relatively little information on who is doing the fighting. There just hasn't been enough research into microbes to really inventory them. Estimates vary, but some research suggests there are literally millions of unknown microorganisms, encompassing multiple uncharted branches on the tree of life that is sometimes described as "microbial dark matter."
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35723609
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provora
The Provora supergroup is genetically, morphologically and behaviourally distinct from other eukaryotes, and comprises two divergent clades of predators—Nebulidia and Nibbleridia—that are superficially similar to each other, but differ fundamentally in ultrastructure, behaviour and gene content. These predators are globally distributed in marine and freshwater environments, but are numerically rare and have consequently been overlooked by molecular-diversity surveys.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05511-5?error=coo...
> But despite all this action, humans have relatively little information on who is doing the fighting. There just hasn't been enough research into microbes to really inventory them. Estimates vary, but some research suggests there are literally millions of unknown microorganisms, encompassing multiple uncharted branches on the tree of life that is sometimes described as "microbial dark matter."
Interesting read