Cercozoa

Cercozoa are a diverse group of mostly unicellular eukaryotes within Rhizaria, including amoeboid and flagellated forms. Many feed on bacteria, algae, or other small organisms.

Rhizaria: A major eukaryotic supergroup that includes Cercozoa, Foraminifera, and Radiolaria. Cercozoa are one of Rhizaria’s principal lineages.
Phagotrophy: A feeding mode in which a cell engulfs solid particles into membrane-bound vesicles. Many cercozoans obtain nutrients by engulfing bacteria or other prey.
Cercomonadida: An order of small flagellated cercozoans common in soils and aquatic habitats. Cercomonads are familiar free-living members of the group.
Soil food web: The network of feeding relationships among organisms living in soil. Cercozoan predators connect bacterial production to larger soil consumers.
Foraminifera: A group of mostly marine rhizarian protists, many of which build mineralized tests. Foraminifera are a neighboring rhizarian lineage, often with more conspicuous tests.
Eukaryote: An organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound compartments. Cercozoa belong to the eukaryotic domain of life.
Bacterivory: The consumption of bacteria by organisms ranging from protists to animals. Bacterial prey supports many soil-dwelling cercozoans.
Euglyphida: An order of amoeboid cercozoans that build shells from siliceous scales. Their distinctive scale-built tests exemplify cercozoan amoebae.
Protist grazing: The consumption of microbes by single-celled eukaryotes. Cercozoan grazing can shape bacterial abundance and community composition.
Radiolaria: Mostly marine rhizarian protists known for elaborate mineral skeletons and radiating pseudopodia. Radiolaria contrast with the often inconspicuous, soil-dwelling cercozoans.

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