L. Forró szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 13. 2000 (Budapest, 2000)
Szabó, A.: A contribution to the Ciliata (Protozoa) fauna of chernozem soils
Summary Research of ciliates of chernozem soils is neglected in Hungary, but in international references as well. This study tries to fill this gap to a certain extent. According to the results of our research carried out in the centre of the Great Hungarian Plain the Ciliata fauna of chernozem soils is rich in species, their diversity is high (45 species, 36 genera). The majority of the species found is cosmopolitan, a part of them is known also from surface water bodies (hydrobiont edaphon). It is remarkable that in the upper (0-10 cm) layer there are less species than in the 10-20 cm one, probably because of the different ecological circumstances. In the deepest layers active Ciliata has not been recorded. Major part of the species found belongs to Hypotrichida. The estimated biomass based on the numbers of individuals is 24 kg/ha in the 0-10 cm layer, while 42 kg/ha in the 10-20 cm one. This is an evidence for the statement that organic matter represented by Ciliata is significant in these soils. Acknowledgments Special thanks are due to Gábor Szilágyi for translating and editing the manuscript. This work was supported by the projekt OTKA T 029359. References Bamforth, S. S. (1973): Population dynamics of soil and vegetation protozoa. — Amer. Zool. 13: 171-176. Bamforth, S. S. (1976): Rhizosphere-soil microbial comparisons in sub-tropical forests of South-Eastern Louisiana. — Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc. 95: 613-621. Bamforth, S. S. (1977): Litters and soils as Freshwater Ecosystems. — Aquatic Microbiol. Comm. 8: 243-256. Biczók, F. (1953): Előtanulmányok a búza rhizoszf érájának protozoonjairól. (Preliminary studies on Protozoa in the rhizosphere of wheat.) —Agrokémia és Talajtan 2: 45-64. Biczók, F. (1955): A pápakovácsi rét rhizoszféra-protozoáinak vizsgálata. (Rhizosphere Protozoons of the meadow near Pápakovács.) — Allait. Közlem. 45: 21-32. Biczók, F. (1956): Contributions to the protozoa of the rhizosphere of wheat. — Acta zool. hung. 2: 115-147. Biczók, F. (1958): A talajlakó protozoák vizsgálata, különös tekintettel a rhizoszférára. (A study of soil Protozoons, with special respect to the rhizosphere.) — Kandidátusi értekezés (thesis), Szeged, 1-115 pp. Bonnet, L. (1964): Le peuplement thécamoebien des sols. - Rev. Ecol. Biol. Sol. 1: 123-408. Borror, A. C. (1972): Revision of the order Hypotrichida (Ciliophora, Protozoa) — J. Protozool. 19: 1-23. Brunberg-Nielsen, L. (1968): Investigations on the microfauna of leaf litter in a Danish beech forest. — Natura Jutlandica 14: 79-89. Buitkamp, U. (1977a): Über die Ciliatenfauna zweier mitteleuropäischer Bodenstandorte (Protozoa, Ciliata). — Decheniana 130: 114-126. Buitkamp, U. (1977b): Die Ciliatenfauna der Savanne vom Lamto (Elfenbeinküste). —Acta Protozool. 16: 249-276. Buitkamp, U. (1979): Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur temperaturadaptation von Bodenciliaten aus klimatisch verschiedenen Regionen. —- Pedobiologia 19: 221-136. Buitkamp, U. Wilbert, N. (1974): Morphologie und Taxonomie einiger Ciliaten eines kanadischen Präribodens. —Acta Protozool. 13: 201- 210.
