Schlüssel zur Identifizierung der Arten der Hypotrichida auf CD-ROM

Research project P 14274 Interphase and morphogenetic characters of the Hypotrichida Peter EIGNER 26.6.2000 It is essential to know the interphase and the morphogenetic characters to establish species or higher taxa of the Hypotrichida. Basically different morphogenetic processes produce seemingly the same interphase cortical structures. Different appearances of interphase cortical patterns may be caused by the variability of the same morphogenetic process. I have analyzed all available descriptions of morphogenesis recently and have termed and defined the processes and described their variability and their effect on the interphase appearance (Eigner 1997,1999). A certain amount of more or less complex morphogenetic processes exists and they develop in different combinations during divisional morphogenesis. I found four fundamental complex processes and based on them the definition of the four phylogenetic groups (families), However, three of these fundamental processes cannot be recognized in interphase specimens and so, the phylogeny of the many species of which only the interphase is described is unknown. Therefore, I will analyze all available morphogenetic characters and search for correlations between the three fundamental family-processes and those morphogenetic processes which leave visible traces on the interphase cortical pattern, Likewise, I will analyze the interphase morphometric and environmental data for possible correlations, Furthermore, I will compare two systems which had been established for the Hypotrichida recently. I will evaluate objectively the quite different characters used in the two studies and try to use characters of both studies for defining hypotrichous taxa. (Berger & Foissner 1997, Eigner 1997,1999). Finally, I will produce a CD-ROM with a key to the species and a key to the morphogenetic processes of the Hypotrichida.

The Hypotrichida are most likely the highest evolved one-celled organisms. They show complex structures and behavior such as eating, walking, swimming and trying to escape from a pipette. The most complex processes can be observed through the light-microscope when cells are dividing, i. e. during morphogenesis. The aim of this project was to produce a CD that contains a database with the relevant morphologic and morphogenetic data needed in order to identify the species belonging to the Hypotrichida. Additionally, the CD should contain a user- friendly program to search these data. I worked about two years on this project. The database contains data from 750 single descriptions of hypotrichous species with about 1500 drawings. To start a searching process, one has to insert the CD in a Windows or Apple computer and choose from a list of defined characters. You have to enter these characters as combinations of letters and numbers into empty fields of the search program and then click "Find". If only one species is found the program automatically displays all references of publications on this species with all relevant data, pictures and abstracts on the desktop. If more than one species is found for the characters given, you may add, change or delete characters within the found set and click "Find" again. A completely new search can of course be started at any time. You may also search for any word in abstracts and references (authors, publications, titles...). One of the big advantages of this CD is that one does not have to work through many characters to reach his or her aim as you have to do in usual keys. Even by entering only a minimum of characters all species that do not match are immediately excluded and only the matching species and their drawings are displayed. By clicking through the found set of drawings one can easily compare them with his or her species. Each species is shown with at least one drawing, most species with several drawings of their ventral and dorsal sides. If available, all pictures of morphogenesis are also included. All termini, especially those for morphogenesis, have been brought up to the latest state of research on Hypotrichida.