Jpn. J. Protozool. Vol. 47, No. 1, 2. (2014)49

Book Review

Hausmann, K. and Radek, R. (Eds.)

Cilia and Flagella – Ciliates and Flagellates
Ultrastructure and cell biology, function and systematics,
symbionts and biodiversity
ISBN: 978-3-510-65287-7, Schweizerbart Science Publishers, 2014, 299 pages.
Sergei I. FOKIN
Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy

One more nicely looking and very interestingprotistological book saw the light. In fact this book
is a collection of materials presented and discussed
at the relatively small (13 participants) meeting
held under the title “International Wendlandian
Symposium: Five Decades of Basic Research on
Cilia/Flagella and Ciliates/Flagellates” in fall2012, Wendland, Germany. In the case of the bookthere are 17 contributors. The focus of the Symposium at which these presentations were made wasto reconsider our understanding cilia/flagella andciliates/flagellates which developed during the last
50 years. The point is that majority of contributors
have been constantly working in protistology formore than 45 years, starting as PhD students tobecome professors and world-reknown specialists.
It means, they actively participated in the fielddevelopment during this past period and somehow
the book could be treated also as a fine collectionof the personal stories in science (a history of themodern protistology). The volume does not cover
all aspects of the discipline, but focuses on
Tel: +39-050-2211388/Fax: +39-050-2211393
E-mail: sfokin@biologia.unipi.it
Received: 24 June 2014.

ultrastucture, cell biology, motility, taxonomy andsystematics, symbiosis and biodiversity (partly).
In the introduction made by the editors,
general characteristics of the subjects (cilia andflagella; ciliates and flagellates) are given. The
first chapter is dedicated to ultrastructure and issplit into two parts. In the first part, G. Antipa,using Didinium and Conchophthirus as model
objects, presents “Cellular architecture, growth,morphogenesis and chemoattractions”. In thesecond one, K. Hausmann addresses to “Ejection,Ingestion, Digestion, and Expulsion in Ciliates”,
focusing on Paramecium, Homalozoon andPseudomicrothorax.
The next chapter “Cell biology” comprises
two articles: “A Song of Praise for Paramecium asa Model in Vesicle Trafficking” (performed byH. Plattner) and “Ciliate Mating types and Pheromones” (presented by P. Luporini, C. Alimenti,and A. Vallesi), mostly dealing with Paramecium,Blepharisma, and Euplotes.
The third chapter “Motility” consists of threearticles: “Encounters with Cilia” (written byM. Sleigh) with Stentor and Paramecium andseveral different flagellates, including Opalina, as

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原生動物学雑誌 第47巻 第1, 2号 2014年

model objects; “How do Protists keep up?”
contributed by H. Machemer, a case study ofParamecium and Stylonychia; and “Ctenophores
and Termites – Systems for Motility” (study byS. Tamm) through the example of several
ctenophorans and some flagellates from thetermites Cryptotermes and Mastotermes.
The fourth chapter “Taxonomy and Systematics” includes two articles: “Kinetids, Concepts,and Coincidences” presented by D. Lynn anddedicated to ciliate systematics and phylogeny and“On Algal and other Protist Flagella and Cilia”
provided by Ø. Moestrup and focused on theexploration of protist flagella.
The “Symbiosis” chapter consists of threearticles: “New insights into the ParameciumHolospora and Paramecium-Chlorella Symbioses”
by M. Fujishima and Y. Kodama; “ProkaryoticEndosymbionts in Ciliates” by H.-D. Görtz,mainly covering Paramecium symbionts; and,finally, “Symbionts of Symbionts – Termite Flagellates and their Bacterial Associations” contributed by R. Radek and J. Strassert, and regarding
investigation of parabasalids and oxymonads from
hindgut of lower termites.
The sixth chapter “Biodiversity” by K.
Hausmann concerns “Smallest Protists in theDeepest Depths – Flagellates from Abyssal Sea
Floors”.
The general retro- and prospective of thestudies, presented by J. Boenigk as a particular
final chapter, could emphasize the main aim of thispublication: “Five decades of research in Protistology – what have we learned?”
A kind of deviation to ciliates studies is striking: of seven chapters only one is dedicatedexclusively to flagellates, but two are entirely
connected with ciliates (in the rest four – material

on ciliates is dominating), not surprisingly, though,as the major part of contributors are ciliatologists.
In some respect the book reminds the volume“Ciliates. Cells as Organisms” published in 1996.
Of course, the team of authors is quite different
and, again, in the present book each chapter
strongly correlates with the author’s sequence ofscientific activities and experience. In Addendum
readers can also find some information concerning
the authors and a dozen of humoristic pictures.
Moreover, all chapters usually start with a fullpage image (micrograph), connected with thechapter content (made by different authors) and are
well illustrated by micrographs taken from originalarticles. All together it makes the text vivid andmore attractive for readers.
There are very few technical mistakes andonly one, more logical, could be mentioned. In
fact, including metazoans (Ctenophora) into protistological book is rather unusual. In any case thetitle “Ctenophores and Termites – Systems forMotility” (Contents, chapter “Motility”, and thehead of the article on p. 147) apparently should beaddressed to motility of ctenophorans andprotozoans inhabiting termites!
Personally, I do like aphorisms, formulated
at the end of D. Lynn article (p.187), which couldbe directed to budding scientists, at the beginningof their careers: “think big conceptually; thinksmall organismically; think new technologicallyand think extreme environmentally”.
According to the back page comment, thevolume is addressed to advanced students ofbiology and zoology, and all scientists teaching
and working in cell biology and protistology.
Taking into consideration the reasonable price,
I hope, the book can reach all of its potentialreaders.