- Autor(in)
- Seitenbereich
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053 - 059
- Zusammenfsg.
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Specimens of Heterostegina depressa, and Operculina ammonoides, two diatom-bearing foraminifera, as well as Discorbis sp., which lacks endosymbionts, were assayed using Naphthol AS-BL Phosphate for the presence of acid phosphatase. Acid phosphatase activity was found in the food mats around the specimens, in the youngest chambers, along the marginal canal system and in the oblique plexis. The enzyme activity was not seen in the secondary or lateral canals, or near the endosymbionts. This study further supports the idea that extracameral digestion may be a preadaptation to endosymbiosis in the foraminifera, and shows the potential for digestion in Heterostegina depressa. Previous studies showed that this species depends upon the primary production of the foraminifer's endosymbionts to satisfy its carbon budget.