Welcome to the homepage of the Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology (EuMik)
formerly German Society for Protozoology

We congratulate this year's winners of the Karl-Gottlieb Grell Prize awarded by our society for outstanding dissertations in the field of eukaryotic microbiology and protistology. The prizes will be awarded on 21 April at the Protistology Open 2026 in Prague, together with a presentation by each of the two winners in the main plenary session.

Jule Freudenthal, Aquatic Ecosystem Analyses, Institute for Integrated Natural Sciences, University of Koblenz

My research focuses on microbial food webs across different ecosystems, particularly on the hidden diversity and function of protists. I study the complex interplay of trophic interactions and environmental factors that influence microbial diversity, community composition and ecosystem processes by combining molecular community analyses with trait-based approaches. This includes establishing functional trait databases and transcriptome-based workflows to explore and compare the physiological characteristics of protists. My research shows that microbial food webs are shaped by a complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors. Notably, not all factors influence the entire microbial community directly; for example, the effects of abiotic factors may also be mediated indirectly through biotic interactions. These findings emphasise the importance of integrating functional traits, environmental context and potential trophic interactions to advance our understanding of microbial food web dynamics.

Alejandro Berlinches de Gea, Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University

My research focuses on understanding how soil biodiversity drives ecosystem functioning using the soil Biodiversity–Ecosystem Functioning (sBEF) framework, with a particular emphasis on soil predatory protists as key but often overlooked components of terrestrial ecosystems. I investigate how changes in protist diversity influence plant performance through their effects on nutrient cycling and soil microbiome composition, and how these relationships shift under global change pressures such as drought, nutrient enrichment, and pathogen stress. To address these questions, I combine controlled greenhouse experiments with trait-based and molecular approaches, manipulating protist diversity and linking their predatory roles to ecosystem processes. My work shows that sBEF relationships are highly context-dependent and can change in both strength and direction under environmental stress, highlighting the central role of soil protists in ecosystem resilience and the importance of conserving soil biodiversity for sustainable and climate-resilient agroecosystems.

Dear members of the Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology,

Tomáš Pánek, the (co)organizer of the Protistology Open 2026 meeting in Prague, asked me to remind our membership that the registration deadline for Protistology Open 2026 is February 20, 2026. Tomáš gives some further information:

This is a joint meeting of International Society of Protistologists, Protozoological Section of Czech Society for Parasitology, Italian Society of Protistology, Protistology Nordics, and Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology.

List of invited speakers and ISOP‑sponsored speakers has been finalized and available on our website. This year, we will host six invited speakers, the 2025 Hutner Award winner lecture, a talk by the ISOP Past President, and two ISOP‑sponsored symposia. In addition, the Society for Eukaryotic Microbiology will award the Grell Prize for the best PhD thesis, and we will also hear a presentation from the prize winners.

We have also special fund to support active participation of early-carrier scientists from under-resourced regions. There is still one slot available (more information on the registration page).

Reminder:

One of the most important upcoming events is the ISOP meeting in Praque from 19th to 23rd April 2026.

We have decided previously to hold our annual conference 2006 together with ISOP and the national societies of Protist Noric and the Czech Society. The italian Society has recently decided to participate, too.

Please look at the webiste, registration is open:

https://registration.cas.cz/PROTIST2026/

Kraken carinae – Ein Monster unter den Mikroben
Was nach Seemannsgarn klingt, existiert wirklich: Kraken carinae ist eine winzige Amöbe, die sich wie das mythische Seeungeheuer „Kraken“ mit unzähligen Armen durch ihre Welt tastet.

Kraken carinae – A Monster Among Microbes What sounds like a sailor’s tale is, in fact, real: Kraken carinae is a tiny amoeba that, like the mythical sea monster “Kraken,” reaches through its world with
countless arms.

More Information:

The Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology will join the ISOP meeting 20. – 23. April 2026 in Prague.

Save the date!

Protistology Section of the Czech Society of Parasitology will meet to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the first international protistology meeting, which took place in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, in 1961.

At the same time, the event will mark the 55th meeting of Czech protistologists (Protodays).

Two other European protistological societies — Protistology Nordics and the Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology — will be joining the celebration.

The Meeting Report of the last Meeting of the Society authored by Edward A.D. Mitchell is now available:

Meeting Report of the 44th Annual Meeting in Neuchatel (CH)

Announcement of the new PR² version 5.1.0.

• The web interface now provides access to the ROD database that contains full-length eukaryotic ribosomal operons.
• A few taxonomic groups have been updated from work performed during the 2023 Barcelona EukRef workshop and from individual contributions including:
  • Picozoa
  • Choropicophyceae
  • Rhodophyta
  • Dinophyceae
  • Foraminifera
• A large number of newly published GenBank sequences have been added
• Some functional traits have been added:
  • HAB (Harmful Algal Bloom) species
  • Ecological function - from Sommeria-Klein et al. 2021
• Some changes have been also done to the web interface allowing more options to select sequences.

This first International Symposium on Testate Amoebae (ISTA) meeting to take place in North America as Tiny Microbes-Big Data Meeting will take place at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada from June 23-27, 2025. ISTA11/CAP-Niagara

Information and registration

The Society of Eukayotic Microbiology (EuMic) believes in transparency, scientific facts and democracy: we leave X by Feb 2025

Registration for 44th Annual Meeting of the Society in Neuchatel

Die faszinierende Welt der Mikroorganismen hat einen neuen Star: Coleps, der Einzeller des Jahres 2025! Diese bemerkenswerte Gattung der Wimpertierchen (Ciliaten oder Ciliophora) begeistert nicht nur durch ihre einzigartige Form und Struktur, sondern auch durch ihre Lebensweise

More Information

There will be a meeting of the Swiss Microbial Ecology Group in Einsiedeln (CH) in January 2025.

For further information: https://www.sme2025.ch/

Just recently, in June 2024, the members of the German Society for Protozoology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie e.V., DGP) decided to rename the society into the Society of Eukaryotic Microbiology.

The Society represents a strong network of researchers united by our common interest and research focus on protists and all other eukaryotic unicellular organisms. The organismal focus is complemented by expertise in almost all areas of biology: phylogeny, taxonomy, cell biology, genetics/genomics, ecology and bioinformatics to study evolution, classification, but also organismal interactions in symbioses and communities. Our groups furthermore work on the analysis of new genomic data and post-genomic analyses.

The DGP looks back on a long tradition, founded on 13 June 1981 in Münster, Germany, on the initiative of Prof. Karl G. Grell, Tübingen, and Prof. Klaus Heckmann, Münster, among others. As the number of members increased rapidly, it became obvious that the DGP was attracting international interest, and active members from Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and many other countries quickly joined.

We continue this tradition and promote all research on protists and eukaryotic unicellular organisms through active networking, annual meetings and support measures for young scientists. Equally important to us is a familiar atmosphere in the Society and especially at our annual meetings, to welcome young scientists in an open and friendly environment and to encourage scientific interaction and discussion.

Visit our Societies Website and take the advantage to become member:

www.protozoology.de

Visit us at the 44th Annual meeting in Neuchatel, Switzerland, organized by Edward Mitchell from Feb 12^th to 14^th, 2025

https://www.protozoologie.de/meetings/43st-annual-meeting/

I cordially invite you to the Extraordinary General Meeting on Monday 24 June at 12.00 via Zoom.

For attending the meeting and voting online login information:

!!Please look in your email send from DGP recently!!

Only participants of the meeting are able to vote.

Kind regards,

Martin Simon

Dear all,

It is our pleasure to bring your attention and invite you to our new seminar series, “The life of Retaria”. The series will start online the 10th of June at 16:00 (CET). More information is available on the website https://thelifeofretaria.github.io/, and please see the flyer below!

If you want to be informed about our upcoming seminar please register to the google form, and feel free to join the mailing list at life-of-retaria-seminar-series@googlegroups.com.

We aim to foster more interactions among the Retaria community in an informal and friendly environment. If you would like to present your work or discuss it - let us know.

Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you in June!

The organizing committee:
Nicole Coots, Mattia Grecco, Natalia Llopis-Monferrer, Julie Meilland, Raphael Morard and Miguel M. Sandin

The German Society for Protozoology would like to invite all community members with a keen interest in gathering and dissipating latest happenings in the field of protozoology research to come join us for the 44^th Annual meeting of the DGP in 2025.

The meeting is being organized by the Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity (Edward Mitchell), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland from 11.02.25 for the workshop and 12-14.02.25 for the meeting.

<<Registratrion opens early Winter>>

Dear ISOP members,

We take great pleasure in extending a warm welcome to the 2024 joint meeting of PSA-ISOP-ISEP at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
Our focus for this event is “From Micro to Macro: Cultivating Resilience in Communities.” Save the dates, July 29th to August 1st, 2024, as the Husky Union Building (HUB) at the University of Washington becomes the hub for innovative discussions.
As many of you make arrangements to join us, we are here to offer helpful details to assist you in estimating your travel costs.

Notable Events and Deadlines

Meeting Registration: Open now. 2024 Joint Meeting of PSA-ISOP-ISEP at Seattle Registration (whova.com)

Dormitory Booking: Open now. https://washington.irisregistration.com/Form/5751

!!   Abstract Submission Deadline: 5/17/2024  !!

!!   Field Trip and Workshop Sign-up Deadline: 6/17/2024  !!

Regular: Sunday, July 28 – Friday, August 2, 2024

Package Rates (per person):

• $541.63 Double Occupancy - Private Bathroom
• $784.13 Single Occupancy - Private Bathroom

Early Arrival Housing: Friday, July 26, 2024.

Late Departure Housing: Sunday, August 4, 2024.

Rates (per person, per night):

• $80.25 Double Occupancy - Private Bathroom
• $128.75 Single Occupancy - Private Bathroom

Dear members of the German Society for Protozoology,

The organizers of our next annual meeting were kind enough to extend the registration deadline to 12 January 2024:

43rd annual meeting - The German Society for Protozoology (protozoologie.de)

See you in Haltern am See,

we wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

Einzeller des Jahres 2024

Cafeteria ist weltweit in Süß- und Salzwasser verbreitet und wurde sogar in der Tiefsee in 8300 m Tiefe gefunden.
Das nur 3-4 Mikrometer winzige Geißeltierchen fängt mit einer Geißel Bakterien, die es verschlingt.
Es spielt eine wichtige Rolle im mikrobiellen Nahrungsnetz. Den außergewöhnlichen Namen hat es bekommen, als seine Entdecker in einer Cafeteria sitzend nach einem passenden Namen für den neu entdeckten Einzeller suchten und fanden, dass seine Form einer Kaffeetasse gleicht.

https://www.protozoologie.de/meetings/43st-annual-meeting

Beachtet bitte, dass mit der Registrierung auch die Abstract Submission verbunden ist, und wir haben weiterhin ein Online Zahlungssystem eingeführt.

Bei der Registrierung bekommt Ihr eine automatische Antwort und Bestätigung.

Registrierung bis 31.12. möglich !!

Marine benthic dinoflagellates – their relevance for science and society
Mona Hoppenrath, Nicolas Chomérat, Takeo Horiguchi, Shauna A. Murray & Lesley Rhodes
This book is the most comprehensive summary of our knowledge of benthic dinoflagellate species, including a compilation of their toxins.

Dinoflagellates are important primary producers, symbionts and, at the same time, heterotrophic consumers and parasites. The species composition in benthic habitats is quite distinct from planktonic habitats. Our understanding of benthic dinoflagellate biodiversity, biogeography, toxicology and ecology has improved but is still rudimentary. Benthic harmful algal blooms have attracted increasing interest because of the impact of ciguatera poisoning, the most important food-borne disease of non-bacterial origin worldwide, which is caused by benthic dinoflagellate species. Ciguatera poisoning appears to have increased worldwide in recent years.

This publication is an updated summary of the taxonomy of currently described taxa and includes morphological and for the first time molecular genetic information for species identification. It contains the most comprehensive review of benthic dinoflagellate toxins published so far. The book also describes methods of study, discusses phylogenetics and evolution, and highlights their scientific relevance as well as the health and economic impacts of benthic dinoflagellates for society.

Compared to the first edition (KSR Vol. 54), 64 new species, 20 new genera and 19 new combinations are described. All chapters have been revised to reflect the latest knowledge and more than 150 new publications have been integrated. The methods section has been expanded to include light microscopy, molecular genetic methods for detection and quantification, and toxicity tests and toxin analyses. For example, a new sampling method that can also be used for quantification is described, as is the metabarcoding approach to biodiversity detection. Species descriptions have been expanded, in many cases with information on molecular identification. The chapter on toxins has been updated. The chapter Relevance for science and society has been added. In parallel to the new edition, identification helps and matrix keys will be available online via the pages of the “Centre of Excellence for Dinophyte Taxonomy” (CEDiT).

This book is a fundamental contribution to improving the monitoring of benthic dinoflagellates worldwide: 242 species in 63 genera are presented, illustrated with more than 240 color images, about 250 electron micrographs and more than 330 drawings

More Information: (EN/DE)

https://www.senckenberg.de/en/science/senckenberg-publications/books/senckenberg-books/book-marine-benthic-dinoflagellates-their-relevance-for-science-and-society/

https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/unterschaetzte-gefahr-und-ressource-am-meeresgrund/

Die biologische Reinigung der kommunalen Abwässer wird in Kläranlagen durch eine vielfältige Lebensgemeinschaft von Mikroorganismen, dem sogenannten Belebtschlamm, bewältigt. Jede dieser vielfältigen Mikroorganismengemeinschaften entwickelt sich auf der Grundlage der umgebenden Umweltfaktoren und liefert somit Hinweise auf besondere Betriebseigenschaften des Klärprozesses sowie auf die Qualität des zufließenden Abwassers.

Basierend auf Veröffentlichungen des Bayerischen Wasserwirtschaftsamtes in Deutschland in den 1980er Jahren wurde 1999 „Das mikroskopische Bild bei der biologischen Abwasserreinigung“ – bekannt als „Blaues Buch“ – veröffentlicht und wurde zum standardisierten Werkzeug zur Bestimmung der Mikroorganismen. Bestimmte Protozoen (insbesondere Ciliaten), einige Metazoen und charakteristische Fadenbakterien wurden als Indikatoren definiert, um den Betriebszustand der Kläranlagen durch die mikroskopische Belebtschlamm-Analyse zu beurteilen.

Dieses biologische Monitoring ergänzt die Analysen der chemisch-physikalischen Parameter, die Teil der regelmäßigen Eigenkontrolle der Kläranlagen sind. Die ermittelten Schlussfolgerungen ermöglichen beispielsweise den Nachweis eines stabilen Anlagenbetriebs oder weisen auf bestimmte Betriebsstörungen sowie auf geeignete Optimierungsmaßnahmen hin.

Im Laufe der Zeit veränderten sich die mikrobiellen Belebtschlamm-Gemeinschaften als Spiegelbild der erhöhten Anforderungen an den Klärbetrieb, beispielsweise durch die Einführung der biologischen Entfernung von Stickstoff (Nitrifikation/Denitrifikation) und Phosphor (biologische P-Eliminierung, „Bio-P“). Als Konsequenz mussten neue Indikatoren in das Bewertungsschema des „Blauen Buchs“ einbezogen werden. Dementsprechend wurde das „Blaue Buch“ grundlegend überarbeitet, basierend auf Daten und empirischen Erkenntnissen, die durch mikroskopische Belebtschlamm-Analysen in europäischen Ländern in den letzten Jahrzehnten gewonnen wurden.

Die 2022 publizierte Neuauflage des „Blauen Buchs“ umfasst 276 Seiten und enthält einen aktualisierten dichotomen Bestimmungsschlüssel, detaillierte Profile der Indikatororganismen und standardisierte Anleitungen zur Interpretation der Ergebnisse. Die Aufzeichnung der mikroskopischen Ergebnisse in einem neu entwickelten Excel-Tool beschleunigt die Auswertung und ermöglicht einen einfacheren und schnelleren Arbeitsprozess für den Laboralltag. Mit dieser Aktualisierung dient das „Blaue Buch“ weiterhin als Standardwerk zur Qualitätssicherung und Plausibilitätsprüfung der Messergebnisse im Rahmen der Eigenüberwachung kommunaler Kläranlagen.

Die gedruckte Version des neuen „Blauen Buchs“, das Excel-Tool und die Bewertungsbögen als zusätzliche Arbeitsmaterialien sind auf der Website des „Bayerischen Landesamts für Umwelt“ (ISBN 978-3-936385-98-4) verfügbar:

Als PDF-Version wird das "Blaue Buch  zum kostenlosen Downlowad  zur Verfügung gestellt:

https://www.bestellen.bayern.de/shoplink/lfu_was_00321.htm

oder per QR-code:

The German Society for Protozoology would like to invite all community members with a keen interest in gathering and dissipating latest happenings in the field of protozoology research to come join us for the 43^rd Annual meeting of the DGP in 2024.

The meeting is being organised by the Department of Biodiversity (Prof. Dr. Jens Boenigk) and the Department for Eukaryotic Microbiology (Prof. Dr. Sonja Rueckert) of the University of Duisburg-Essen and will be held from 27.02. - 01.03.2024 at the Adolf-Schmidt-Bildungszentrum in Haltern Am See.

<<Registration opens Early Winter>>

Richard Dean Allen passed away on February 10, 2023, in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, the United States.
The protozoological and cell biological community sadly lost one of its best
and highly esteemed colleagues with international reputation.

Full texts:
DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12974
or via the authors:
Klaus Hausmann: hausmann@zedat.fu-berlin.de
Helmut Plattner: helmut.plattner@uni-konstanz.de

Don’t forget to sign up for ECOP-ISOP 2023!

https://ecop-isop2023.univie.ac.at/registration-submission/abstract-submission/

More Information

More Information

The upcoming 42nd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Protozoology will be held in frame of the IX European Congress of Protistology (ECOP) joint meeting with the annual Congress of the International Society of Protistologists (ISOP).
The meeting will be organized as a Green Meeting at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, 9-14 July 2023.
The conference venue will be the « University Campus Altes AKH », for further details on the program, registration and abstract submission please visit the conference website.

Registration

The official conference language will be English. As during the last years, prizes for the best posters and the best student talk will be awarded at the social evening.

Einzeller des Jahres 2023

Koloniebildendes Wimpertierchen Ophrydium versatile Grünes Gallertkugeltierchen

Dieses Wimpertierchen gehört zu den Peritrichia und bildet mit freiem Auge sichtbare Kolonien von wenigen Millimetern bis zu 15 Zentimetern im Durchmesser. Auffallend ist die grüne Farbe, die durch Grünalgen hervorgerufen wird, mit denen Ophrydium in Symbiose lebt. Die grünen Kolonien kommen regelmäßig im Frühjahr in Seen vor. Ophrydium versatile ist ein Indikator für sehr gute Wasserqualität. Die großen Gallertkugeln werden oft von anderen Ciliaten, Protisten und Süßwasserpolypen (Hydra), sowie von verschiedenen Algen besiedelt und bilden eigene Lebensgemeinschaften.

12.-15. July, Kardinal Schulte Haus, Bergisch Gladbach

The upcoming 41st annual meeting of the German Society of Protozoology (DGP), hosted by the Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology group of Prof. Dr. Martin Simon, will take place in person in Bergisch Gladbach. For more information please see the website https://www.protozoologie.de/meetings/41st-annual-meeting/ or write an email to dgp22@uni-wuppertal.de.

Download program +
abstracts + participants