Newly discovered protist parasites contribute to the stability of rainforest ecosystems
Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 08:33
in Biology & Nature
Tropical rainforests are among the most species-rich areas on earth. Thousands of animal and plant species live there. The smaller microbial protists, which are not visible to the naked eye, are also native to these forests, where they live in the soils and elsewhere. A team of researchers formed by Micah Dunthorn, University of Kaiserslautern, examined them more closely by analyzing their DNA. They discovered many unknown species, including many parasites, which may contribute to the stability of rainforest ecosystems. These results have now been published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.