Tendências e avanços nos estudos de ciliados de bromélias: uma abordagem cienciométrica

Abstract

This study aimed to compile and analyze research on bromeliad ciliates with a scientometric focus and to construct a comprehensive phylogenetic tree of the molecular diversity of Ciliophora based on 18S rDNA gene sequences, aiming to identify the groups within the Ciliophora phylum that inhabit bromeliads, water bodies, and soils, and highlight the organisms exclusive to bromeliad phytotelms. For the literature review, the PRISMA methodology was used, with searches based on the Boolean operator “(ciliates OR ciliophora) AND (bromeli* OR phytotel*)” to select the articles, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method, utilizing a previous dataset. The review revealed a limited number of studies on ciliates in bromeliads, with greater representation from Brazil, Austria, and Mexico, and identified Wilhelm Foissner as the main researcher in the field, having described 11 species. The phylogeny pointed to 31 species exclusive to phytotelms, suggesting multiple independent colonizations and indicating the important role of these environments in the speciation process. Given technological advances, future studies should explore molecular techniques such as metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing to deepen the knowledge of ciliate biodiversity in phytotelms, as well as comparative genomic analyses and more comprehensive ecological studies to understand the trophic interactions and evolutionary processes shaping these communities.