Zoothamnium niveum colonies on wood
debris in the Indian River Lagoon. Photo
courtesy of W. Coates, Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center.
Closer view of Zoothamnium niveum
colonies.
Photo courtesy of W. Coates, Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center.
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Species Name:
Zoothamnium niveum
Common Name:
None
Description:
Zoothamnium niveum is a colonial Protist that reaches 2 - 3 mm in
height. Individual zooids have an inverted bell shape and measure
approximately 120um in height. The contractile vacuole is located below
the peristomial lip.
Zooids are attached to a common stalk, which is
contractile and branching. A continuous myoneme is centrally located in
the stalk, allowing zooids in the colony to contract together in a zig-zag
fashion, rather than spirally as occurs in other members of this family (i.e.,
Vorticella spp.). The myoneme is not sinusoidal when the colony is
relaxed.
Z. niveum is typically found in mangrove peat
and wood debris. It thrives in the anoxic boundary layer of sediments
where it consumes sulfur bacteria.
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