Searching for a Mate: Pheromone-Directed Movement of the Benthic Diatom Seminavis robusta

Diatoms are species-rich microalgae that often have a unique life cycle with vegetative cell size reduction followed by size restoration through sexual reproduction of two mating types (MT⁺ and MT⁻). In the marine benthic diatom Seminavis robusta, mate-finding is mediated by an L-proline-derived dik...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbial ecology 2016-08, Vol.72 (2), p.287-294
Main Authors: Bondoc, Karen Grace V., Lembke, Christine, Vyverman, Wim, Pohnert, Georg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillariophyceae
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemotaxis
Diatoms - physiology
Diketopiperazines - chemistry
Ecology
Geoecology/Natural Processes
Life Sciences
Microbial Ecology
Microbiology
MICROBIOLOGY OF AQUATIC SYSTEMS
Models, Biological
Nature Conservation
Pheromones - chemistry
Reproduction
Seminavis robusta
Statistical models
Water Quality/Water Pollution
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Summary:Diatoms are species-rich microalgae that often have a unique life cycle with vegetative cell size reduction followed by size restoration through sexual reproduction of two mating types (MT⁺ and MT⁻). In the marine benthic diatom Seminavis robusta, mate-finding is mediated by an L-proline-derived diketopiperazine, a pheromone produced by the attracting mating type (MT⁻). Here, we investigate the movement patterns of cells of the opposite mating type (MT⁺) exposed to a pheromone gradient, using video monitoring and statistical modeling. We report that cells of the migrating mating type (MT⁺) respond to pheromone gradients by simultaneous chemotaxis and chemokinesis. Changes in movement behavior enable MT⁺ cells to locate the direction of the pheromone source and to maximize their encounter rate towards it.
ISSN:0095-3628
1432-184X
DOI:10.1007/s00248-016-0796-7