Dictyostelid Cellular Slime Molds from Western Alaska, U.S.A., and the Russian Far East

Abstract

Soil/litter samples for isolation of dictyostelid cellular slime molds were collected from seven sites in eastern Russia and five sites in western Alaska, including the Pribilof Island of St. Paul. The two study areas are located in portions of Asia and North America that were once linked by a land mass that has become known as Beringia. Seven species of dictyostelids were recovered from the samples collected in Russia and two species were recorded for samples from Alaska. Densities (clones/gram) were sometimes surprisingly high, especially for eastern Russia, where three sites had densities >1000 clones/gram. Dictyostelium mucoroides was the single most consistently abundant species in both study areas.