Phylogeny and species delimitation of ciliates in the genus Spirostomum (Class, Heterotrichea) using single-cell transcriptomes

We collected Spirostomum ciliates from South Korea and the USA. After isolating the single cell, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing. Using the transcriptomic data, we inferred a robust phylogenetic tree and investigated the species boundaries of the genus Spirostomum. Overall, this project provides insight into understanding the cryptic speciation patterns in the ciliate genus Spirostomum.