Cyanobacteria are widely distributed in all habitats. It makes them an attractive food source for many organisms, including Amoebozoa. We tested 23 strains of naked lobose amoebae belonging to the classes Tubulinea and Discosea for the ability to feed on the filaments of a widely distributed cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp. Three strains were found to be able to feed on this organism. We documented and described the processes of feeding and discussed different ways that amoebae used to ingest cyanobacterial filaments. The present study experimentally shows that average-sized
species of Amoebozoa are able to consume and digest filamentous cyanobacteria and disrupt cyanobacterial biofilm, preventing its formation and adherence to the substrate.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)38-49
Number of pages12
JournalProtistology
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

    Research areas

  • Amoebozoa, Cyanobacteria, feeding, morphology, evolution, cyanobacteria, amoebozoa

ID: 106445137