Length above which bacteria Serratia liquefaciens cells cannot be consumed by ciliate Tetrahymena sp.

Value 15 µm
Organism Bacteria Serratia liquefaciens
Reference Young KD. The selective value of bacterial shape. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2006 Sep70(3):660-703 DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.00001-06 p.685 right column top paragraphPubMed ID16959965
Primary Source [7] Ammendola A, Geisenberger O, Andersen JB, Givskov M, Schleifer KH, Eberl L. Serratia liquefaciens swarm cells exhibit enhanced resistance to predation by Tetrahymena sp. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1998 Jul 1 164(1):69-75PubMed ID9675853
Comments P.685 right column top paragraph: "Since the ciliate Tetrahymena feasts on short bacteria but cannot consume cells longer than 15 μm, the longer swarm cells of Serratia liquefaciens resist predation by this protist (primary source). After being grazed by Tetrahymena for only 5 h, intermediate-sized bacteria (2 to 10 μm long) decrease from 46% to 0% of the population, cells longer than 30 μm increase from 4% to 50%, and 90% of the population consists of cells longer than 20 μm (primary source)."
Entered by Uri M
ID 115627