The invisible predators in your garden soil are masters of molecular evolution
In short: Cercozoa are a vast, diverse phylum of single-celled eukaryotes that define the hidden ecology of your garden. Lacking a mouth, these microscopic hunters use thin, thread-like pseudopods to capture bacteria. They are so abundant that they account for up to 60 percent of all protozoan RNA in forest soils.
Cercozoa are a phylum of single-celled eukaryotes that were the first major group recognized primarily through molecular phylogenies rather than shared physical traits. Because they lack a common microscopic appearance, scientists rely on rRNA, actin, and polyubiquitin data to define them. They belong to the Rhizaria supergroup, alongside foraminifera and radiolarians. While they vary wildly in form, they are united by their unique feeding mechanism: they lack a true mouth and instead use filose or reticulose pseudopods to capture prey.
These organisms are ecological powerhouses. In temperate soils, they are a dominant group of free-living microorganisms, representing 30 percent of identifiable protozoan DNA in arid regions and 15 percent in humid ones. Their impact is even more pronounced in the phyllosphere—the surface of plant leaves—where they act as critical bacterivores. By grazing on specific populations like alphaproteobacteria and betaproteobacteria, they actively shift the composition of bacterial communities. Their ability to cyst and multiply within hours makes them perfectly adapted to the rapidly changing conditions of a leaf surface.
The group is also a treasure trove for evolutionary biology. Chlorarachniophytes, for instance, contain chloroplasts bound by four membranes and retain a vestigial nucleus called a nucleomorph, providing researchers with vital clues about the endosymbiotic origins of organelles. Furthermore, the phylum is surprisingly diverse in its habitats; some species are coprophilic, thriving in feces, which has become a significant, understudied reservoir for discovering new lineages. Whether in the ocean floor, where they comprise up to 24 percent of operational taxonomic units, or in your own backyard, Cercozoa remain one of the most significant, yet invisible, forces in the microbial world.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Cercozoa
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