title: Free-living ciliates from epiphytic tank bromeliads in Mexico.
abstract: The ciliate diversity of Mexican bromeliads is poorly known. We studied the ciliate community of two species of epiphytic tank bromeliads from 48 individuals of Tillandsia heterophylla and four of T. prodigiosa. The bromeliads occurred on over 22 tree host species. Samples were collected during 2009 and 2010 in a mountain cloud forest and in two coffee plantations and in a pine-oak forest. The ciliates were identified in live and protargol preparations. We recorded 61 ciliate species distributed in 39 genera grouped in eight classes. Ten species were frequent in the 52 samples (20 ± 3.2) and Leptopharynx bromeliophilus was the most frequent recorded in 25 samples. Thirty-three species are new for the fauna of Mexico, 24 species have been recorded for the first time in tank bromeliads. The classes Spirotrichea, Oligohymenophorea and Colpodea presented the highest number of species, 16, 14, and 12, respectively. Colpoda was the most species-rich genus being present with six species. A low similarity between areas and seasons was obtained with Jaccard's index. We conclude that the two bromeliads species host a rich ciliate diversity whose knowledge contributes to the question of ciliate distribution and specifically, in tank bromeliads.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Protozoología, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico. Electronic address: carlosduran_88@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Durán-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Red de Ecología Funcional, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: José Guadalupe
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: García-Franco
authors.affiliation: Universität Salzburg, FB Organismische Biologie, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Foissner
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Protozoología, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rosaura
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayén-Estrada
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology; D008800:Mexico; D031232:Tillandsia / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Bromeliads; Ciliates; Mexico; T. prodigiosa; Tillandsia heterophylla