Why giant protozoa stink

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When first discovered in 1890, protozoa living off the west coast of Africa, which can grow up to 14 centimeters in length, were given the species name “foetida”—from the Latin foetidus for stinky—because they emit a “dirty odor.” Until now, however, it is a mystery why these so-called foraminifera of the species “Jullienella foetida” smell like this. That is what researchers at the Natural History Museum (NHM) Vienna have now revealed.

Foraminifera are single-celled creatures that are often surrounded by a solid shell. They are usually only a few millimeters in size. However, a group of so-called agglutinating foraminifera enlarge their shells by sticking small grains of sand and minerals to their surface, making them several centimeters in size. This group also includes “Jullienella foetida”, which occurs in water depths up to 100 meters off the west coast of Africa.

An international research team, including Anna Weinmann from NHM Vienna, has now examined specimens of these largest foraminifera in shallow water using various imaging methods and published the results in the journal “PeerJ”. “With such modern, three-dimensional images, we can examine the interior of the housing and understand how such large but stable housings are built,” explains Weinmann in a broadcast.

Cell plasma in the housing causes odor
The recordings show that the cases are crossed by internal partitions. They support the outer walls and at the same time direct the cytoplasm of the protozoa. Remains of cell plasma were also found in the housing in some specimens – which are probably responsible for the described bad odor.

The scientists emphasized that the likely biomass of “Jullienella foetida,” probably one of the largest foraminifera living today, could also be calculated using the recordings. To form and maintain such a large biomass, the species depends on suitable food sources, which it finds in the particularly nutrient-rich coastal regions of the eastern Atlantic.

In the absence of other skeletal organisms such as corals, “Jullienella foetida” probably provides the only larger, solid substrate in its habitat, which in turn can be colonized by other organisms. The species plays an important role in the diversity of the local ecosystem.

Source: Krone

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