This paper first reviews the concept of functional diversity in general terms and then applies
it to free-living aquatic ciliates. Ciliates are extremely versatile organisms and display an …

Microbial communities, which include prokaryotes and protists, play an important role in
aquatic ecosystems and influence ecological processes. To understand these communities …

Inland waters are among the most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Ponds located in alpine
areas are experiencing more rapid and dramatic water temperature increases than any …

Species of the ciliate genus Urotricha are key players in freshwater plankton communities. In
the pelagial of lakes, about 20 urotrich species occur throughout an annual cycle, some of …

In recent decades, the increase in terrestrial inputs to freshwater and coastal ecosystems,
especially occurring at northern latitudes, has led to a process of water color darkening …

High mountain lakes provide essential ecosystem services and have a high conservation
value. Therefore, understanding how glacier retreat will affect their ecological functioning …

With the retreat of glaciers, new ponds and lakes are often formed. These are gradually
colonised and become more productive as vegetation develops in their catchments, creating …

We investigated the food-dependent growth and thermal response of the freshwater ciliate
Colpidium kleini using numerical response (NR) experiments. This bacterivorous ciliate …

Planktonic ciliate species form multiple trophic guilds and are central components of
freshwater food webs. Progress in molecular analytical tools has opened new insight into …

Planktonic ciliates constitute a fundamental component among microzooplankton and play a
prominent role in carbon transport at the base of marine food webs. How these organisms …