Fig. 6.

Population development of the ciliate Bromeliothrix metopoides fed with heterotrophic bacteria (A), respectively bacteria plus the flagellate Polytomella sp. (B, C) at continuously reduced culture volumes (mimicking desiccation) in three different treatments. Cell numbers of motile ciliates (triangles, left y-axis) and cysts (circles, right y-axis), and the experimental volume (squares, right y-axis offset) are reported in each graph; bacterial and flagellate levels are not shown. The difference between treatments B and C is that only in B the ciliate was fed with the flagellate in the course of the experiments.