While molecular analyses have provided insight into the phylogeny of ciliates, the few studies assessing intraspecific variation
have largely relied on just a single locus [e.g., nuclear small subunit rDNA (nSSU-rDNA) or mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase
I]. In this study, we characterize the diversity of several nuclear protein-coding genes plus both nSSU-rDNA and mitochondrial
small subunit rDNA (mtSSU-rDNA) of five isolates of the ciliate morphospecies Chilodonella uncinata. Although these isolates have nearly identical nSSU-rDNA sequences, they differ by up to 8.0% in mtSSU-rDNA. Comparative
analyses of all loci, including β-tubulin paralogs, indicate a lack of recombination between strains, demonstrating that the
morphospecies C. uncinata consists of multiple cryptic species. Further, there is considerable variation in substitution rates among loci as some protein-coding
domains are nearly identical between isolates, while others differ by up to 13.2% at the amino acid level. Combining insights
on macronuclear variation among isolates, the focus of this study, with published data from the micronucleus of two of these
isolates, indicates that C. uncinata lineages are able to maintain both highly divergent and highly conserved genes within a rapidly evolving germline genome.
Keywords Cryptic species – Molecular evolution – Genome architecture – Ciliate