Abstract
SUMMARY The preconjugant cell interactions of a marine species of Blepharisma (Protozoa Ciliata), collected on the Somalian coasts of the Indian Ocean, have been investigated. In freshwater species belonging to the same genus, cell recognition and union during the early phases of sexual reproduction are mediated by mating-type specific soluble factors (gamones). Substances with the biological significance of gamones have been demonstrated in the marine species too with the difference that these did not induce cells of the same mating-type to fuse with each other. These findings suggest that role played by the gamones in the preconjugative strategy of the marine species is different and, to some extent, more limited than in the congeneric freshwater species.
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