Associative behaviour and antagonism of bovine rumen ciliate (Protista, Ciliophora) from Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Aiming at obtaining the community profile and verifying the occurrence of antagonism and association among ciliates, samples of rumen content were analysed in 100 bovines soon after their death. The animals were killed at the Juiz de Fora Municipal slaughter house (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) between August 1996 and May 1997. Ciliates occurred, respectively, in the following percents and samples number: Entodinium Stein, 1859 (50,48; 100), Diplodinium Schuberg, 1888 (5,59; 98), Eudiplodinium Dogiel, 1927 (6,91; 97), Ostracodinium Dogiel, 1927 (9,68; 95), hotricha Stein, 1859 (4,15; 93), Dasytricha Schuberg, 1888 (3,31; 93), Metadi nium Awerinzew & Mutafowa, 1914 (3,06; 90), Eremoplastron Kofoid & MacLennan. 1932 (7,39; 87), Epidinium Crawley, 1923 (5,31; 73), Charonina Strand, 1928 (1,33; 65), Eodinium Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (1,49; 59), Diploplastron Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (0,88; 24), Elytroplastron Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (0,36; 16), Polyplastron Dogiel, 1927 (0,04; 03) and Buetschlia Schuberg, 1888 (0,02; 01). When the antagonistic behaviour and the association were analyzed, it was observed that Eudiplodinium was detected in the absence of Polyplastron and in the presence of Epidinium in 94% and 73% of the samples, respectively. These data confirm the antagonism and the coexistence among particular populations of rumen ciliates and allowed the identification of 94% of the samples examined as being of profile type B, none of type A and 3% of mixed A-B community and of type O. It is suggested the use of the term community profile instead of population profile, as the respective types involve associations of various ciliate populations