On the left is a starving provoran. On the right, it has engulfed its prey. Photo Credit: Tikhonenkov, Mikhailov, Gawryluk, Belyaev, Mathur, Karpov, Zagumyonnyi, Borodina, Prokina, Mylnikov, Aleoshin, and Keeling, Nature
There’s a new branch on the tree of life and it’s made up of predators that nibble their prey to death.
These microbial predators fall into two groups, one of which researchers have dubbed “nibblerids” because they, well, nibble chunks off their prey using tooth-like structures. The other group, nebulids, eat their prey whole. And both comprise a new ancient branch on the tree of life called “Provora,” according to a paper published today in Nature.