Genetic Heterogeneity in a Natural Population of Acanthamoeba polyphaga from Soil, an Isoenzyme Analysis1

Abstract
Acanthamoeba polyphaga, a free‐living, bacterial feeder found in freshwater and soil, reproduces asexually and is morphologicaly distinguishable from other acanthamoebae. Isoenzyme analyses were done on 15 random, clonal isolates from soil. Electrophoretic patterns indicated that enzyme bands occurred in clusters consistent with that of a diploid organism. The data indicates that natural populations of A. polyphaga have a greater genetic diversity than laboratory isolates of other amoebae, resembling the heterogeneity observed for natural populations of bacteria.