144/150: Rotifers – a phylum on their own

Animalia: Rotifera: Monogononta: Ploima: Synchaetidae Hudson & Gosse, 1886

Rotifers are microscopic aquatic animals that can be found in a quite diverse range of habitats. Common habitats include both lentic (still water) and lotic (flowing water) waters, and both fresh and salt waters. They are very small (only 0.1-0.5 mm long) soft-bodied invertebrates with hard jaws that are surrounded by a crown of cilia, called a corona, that they move in a circular motion to displace water around their mouth and capture particles to eat. They are known to consume very small food particles which includes dead or decomposing organic materials and phytoplankton. Rotifers are parthenogenetic in reproduction, in which the species consists of mostly females that asexually produce their daughters from unfertilized eggs. Some species produce two kinds of eggs that develop by parthenogenesis: one kind forms females and the other develops degenerate males that cannot even feed themselves! Males are typically only produced when conditions are harsh and a new batch of genes added to the gene pool could be beneficial to the population. Way to go ladies! #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: CAISN128-12

nucleotide sequence

ACTCTATATTTCGTATTTGGAATATGAGCAGGACTAGTTGGTCTTAGAATAAGACTACTAATTCGTTTAGAATTAGGTGTAATTGGCTCTTTTTTAGGAGAT——GAGCATTTATACAATGTTATTGTAACAGCTCACGCTTTTGTTATGATTTTCTTCATAGTAATACCTATTTCTATAGGAGGTTTTGGTAATTGACTAATTCCTTTAATGCTAGGGGTAGCTGATATAGCTTTCCCTCGTATAAATAATTTATCGTTCTGATTATTAATTCCTGCATTTATAATGCTACTATTAAGAAGAATTTTAGACGCTGGGGTAGGAACAGGTTGAACTGTTTACCCTCCTTTATCTGATTCTAAG—TATCATTCTGGAATCTCAGTAGATTTAGCTATTTTTAGATTACATCTAGCTGGAATCTCATCAATTCTGGGTAGAATTAACTTTATAACTACAATTATTTGTTCACGTACAACTAAAATAGTAAGAATAGATCGTTTACCTCTAATGCTTTGATCATTAGGAGTAACGGCTTTTCTATTAGTTACTACTTTACCAGTTTTAGCAGGTGCTATTACAATGTTACTGACTGATCGTAACTTTAATACATCATTTTTTGATCCTTCTGGAGGAGGAAACCCTGTACTCTATCAACACCTA———————————————

amino acid sequence

TLYFVFGMWAGLVGLSMSLLIRLELGVIGSFLGD–EHLYNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPISMGGFGNWLIPLMLGVADMAFPRMNNLSFWLLIPAFMMLLLSSILDAGVGTGWTVYPPLSDSK-YHSGISVDLAIFSLHLAGISSILGSINFMTTIICSRTTKMVSMDRLPLMLWSLGVTAFLLVTTLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNFNTSFFDPSGGGNPVLYQHL—————

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:ACL8152