Abstract
The photosynthetic freshwater flagellate,Peridinium gatunense, uses both positive phototaxis and negative gravitaxis to move upwards in the water column. At higher fluence rates approaching those at the surface of their habitat, the cells tend to become unoriented and thus stop their upward movement. Orientation and motility ofPeridinium gatunense has been studied in the slow rotating centrifuge microscope (NIZEMI), which allows observation of swimming behavior during centrifugation acceleration between 1g and 5g. The movement vectors were analyzed by real time image analysis capable of tracking many cells simultaneously. At 1g the orientation was not very precise, but the degree of orientation increased significantly at higher acceleration forces up to about 3g. Most cells were capable of swimming even against an acceleration vector of 3.8g; at higher acceleration forces the cells were not able to cope with the centrifugal force. The linear velocity of cells swimming against 1g was about 20% lower than that of cells moving in other directions. The velocity decreased even more in cells swimming against higher acceleration forces.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature Cited
Aderhold R (1988) Beiträge zur Kenntnis richtender Kräfte bei der Bewegung niederer Organismen, Jen Med Naturwiss 22:311–342
Batschelet E (1965) Statistical methods for the analysis of problems in animal orientation and certain biological rhythms. In: Galles SR, Schmidt-Koenig K, Jacobs GJ, Belleville RF (eds) Animal orientation and navigation. Washington: NASA, pp 61–91
Batschelet E (1981) Circular statistics in biology. London: Academic Press
Bean B (1984) Microbial geotaxis. In: Colombetti G, Lenci F (eds) Membranes and sensory transduction. New York, London: Plenum Press, pp 163–198
Berg HC (1985) Physics of bacterial chemotaxis. In: Colombetti G, Lenci F, Song P-S (eds) Sensory perception and transduction in aneural organisms. New York, London: Plenum Press, pp 19–30
Block J, Briegleb W, Sobick V, Wohlfarth-Bottermann KE (1986) Confirmation of gravisensitivity in the slime moldPhysarum polycephalum under near weightlessness. Adv Space Res 6:143–150
Briegleb W (1984) Acceleration reactions of cells and tissues—their genetic-phylogenic implications. Adv Space Res 4:5–7
Briegleb W (1988) Ground-borne methods and results in gravitational cell biology. The Physiologist 31:44–47
Briegleb W, Block I (1986) Classification of gravity effects on “free” cells. Adv Space Res 6:15–19
Briegleb W, Schatz A (1980) Changes of periodic protoplasmic movements on the fast clinostat. The Physiologist 23:137–138
Briegleb W, Schatz A (1980) Changes of periodic protoplasmic movements on the fast clinostat. Adv Physiol Sci 19:261–264
Briegleb W, Neubert J, Schatz A, Hordinsky JR, Cogoli A (1982) Cell morphological, ontogenic, and genetic reactions to 0-g simulation and hyper-g. Acta Astronautica 9:47–50
Briegleb W, Block I, Sobick V (1986) Steady compensation of gravity effects inPhysarum polycephalum. Naturwiss 73:422–424
Brinkmann K (1968) Keine Geotaxis beiEuglena. Z Pflanzenphysiol 59:12–16
Cogoli A, Valluchi M, Reck J, Müller M, Briegleb W, Cordt I, Michel C (1979) Human lymphocyte activation is depressed at low-g and enhanced at high-g. The Physiologist 22:29–30
Creutz C, Diehn B (1976) Motor responses to polarized light and gravity sensing inEuglena gracilis. J Protozool 23:552–556
Ekelund N, Häder D-P (1988) Photomovement and photobleaching in twoGyrodinium species. Plant Cell Physiol 29:1109–1114
Esquivel DMS, de Barros HGPL (1986) Motion of magnetotactic microorganisms. J Exp Biol 121:153–163
Fenchel T, Finlay BJ (1986) Photobehavior of the ciliated protozoonLoxodes: taxis, transient, and kinetic responses in the presence and absence of oxygen. J Protozool 33:139–145
Frankel RB (1984) Magnetic guidance of organisms. Annu Rev Biophys Bioeng 13:85–103
Freeman H (1961) On the encoding of arbitrary geometric configurations. IRE Trans EC-10:260–268
Freeman H (1974) Computer processing of line-drawing images. Computing Surveys 6:57–97
Freeman H (1980) Analysis and manipulation of lineal map data. Map data processing. New York: Academic Press, pp 151–168
Fukui K, Asai H (1985) Negative geotactic behavior ofParamecium caudatum is completely described by the mechanism of buoyancy-oriented upward swimming. Biophys J 47:479–482
Mäder D-P (1984) Effects of UV-B on motility and photoorientation in the cyanobacterium,Phormidium uncinatum. Arch Microbiol 140:34–39.
Häder D-P (1985) Effects of UV-B on motility and photobehavior in the green flagellate,Euglena gracilis. Arch Microbiol 141:159–163
Häder D-P (1985) Computer-aided studies of photoinduced behaviors. In: Colombetti G, Lenci F, Song P-S (eds) Sensory perception and transduction in aneural organisms. New York, London: Plenum Press, pp 75–91
Häder D-P (1986) Effects of solar and artificial UV irradiation on motility and phototaxis in the flagellate,Euglena gracilis. Photochem Photobiol 44:651–656
Häder D-P (1987) Effects of UV-B irradiation on photomovement in the desmid,Cosmarium cuccmis. Photochem Photobiol 46:121–126
Häder D-P (1987) Polarotaxis, gravitaxis and vertical phototaxis in the green flagellate,Englena gracilis. Arch Microbiol 147:179–183
Häder D-P (1988) Computer-assisted image analysis in biological sciences. Proc. Indian Acad Sci (Plant Sci) 98:227–249
Häder D-P (1988) Ecological consequences of photomovement in microorganisms. J Photochem Photobiol B:Biol 1:385–414
Häder D-P, Häder MA (1988) Inhibition of motility and phototaxis in the green flagellate,Euglena gracilis, by UV-B radiation. Arch Microbiol 150:20–25
Häder D-P, Häder M (1988) Ultraviolet-B inhibition of motility in green and dark bleachedEuglena gracilis. Curr Microbiol 17:215–220.
Häder D-P, Häder MA (1989) Effects of solar UV-B irradiation on photomovement and motility in photosynthetic and colorless flagellates. Environ Exp Bot 29:273–282
Häder D-P, Häder M (1989) Effects of solar radiation on photoorientation, motility and pigmentation in a freshwaterCryptomonas. Botanica Acta 102:236–240
Häder D-P, Häder MA (1989) Effects of solar and artificial radiation on motility and pigmentation inCyanophora paradoxa. Arch Microbiol 152:453–457
Häder D-P, Lipson E (1986) Fourier analysis of angular distribution for motile microorganisms. Photochem Photobiol 44:657–663
Häder D-P, Vogel K (1990) Simultaneous tracking of flagellates in real time by image analysis. J Math Biol, in press
Häder, D-P, Watanabe M, Furuya M (1986) Inhibition of motility in the cyanobacterium,Phormidium uncinatum, by solar and monochromatic UV irradiation. Plant Cell Physiol 27:887–894
Häder D-P, Rhiel E, Wehrmeyer W (1987) Phototaxis in the marine flagellateCryptomonas maculata, J Photochem Photobiol 1:115–122
Häder D-P, Rhiel E, Wehrmeyer W (1988) Ecological consequences of photomovement and photobleaching in the marine flagellateCryptomonas maculata. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 53:9–18
Häder D-P, Häder M, Liu S-M, Ullrich W (1990) Effects of solar radiation on photoorientation, motility and pigmentation in a freshwaterPeridinium. BioSystems 23:335–343
Häder D-P, Liu S-M, Häder M, Ullrich W (1990) Photoorientation, motility and pigmentation in a freshwaterPeridinium affected by ultraviolet radiation. Gen Physiol Biophys 9:361–371
Hemmersbach-Krause R (1988) Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Gravitaxis und zur Morphologie vonLoxodes undParamecium. Forschungsbericht der Deutschen Forschungs-und Versuchsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt 88-27:1–155
Jensen P (1893) Über den Geotropismus niederer Organismen. Pflüger's Arch ges Phys 53:428–480
Kessler JO (1985) Hydrodynamic focusing of motile algal cells. Nature (London) 313:218–220
Kessler JO (1986) The external dynamics of swimming microorganisms. In: Round FE, Chapman DJ (eds) Progress in phycological research. Biopress Ltd. 4, pp 258–307
Kuroda K, Kamiya NMJA, Yoshimoto Y, Hiramoto Y (1986)Paramecium behavior during video centrifuge-microscopy. Proc Japan Acad 62, Ser B:117–121
Lindström K (1983) Selenium as a growth factor for plankton algae in laboratory experiments and in some Swedish lakes. Hydrobiologia 101:35–48
Lindström K, Rodhe W (1978) Selenium as a micronutrients for the dinoflagellatePeridinium cinctum fa.westii. Mitt Internat Verein Limnol 21:168–173
Liu S-M, Häder D-P, Ullrich W (1990) Photoorientation in the freshwater dinoflagellate.Peridinium gatunense Nygaard. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 73:91–102
MacNab RM (1985) Biochemistry of sensory transduction in bacteria. In: Colombetti G, Lenci F, Song P-S (eds) Sensory perception and transduction in aneural organisms. New York, London: Plenum Press, pp. 31–46
Mardia KV (1972) Statistics of directional data. London: Academic Press.
Mizuno T, Maeda K, Imae Y (1984) Thermosensory transduction inEscherichia coli. In: Oosawa F, Yoshioka T, Hayashi H (eds) Transmembrane signaling and sensation. Tokyo: Japan Sci. Soc. Press and VNU Sci. Press BV, Netherlands, pp 147–195
Nultsch W, Agel G (1986) Fluence rate and wavelength dependence of photobleaching in the cyanobacteriumAnabaena variabilis. Arch Microbiol 144:268–271
Nultsch W, Häder D-P (1988) Photomovement in motile microorganisms II. Photochem Photobiol 47:837–869
Poff KL (1985) Temperature sensing in microorgansims. In: Colombetti G, Lenci F, Song PS (eds) Sensory perception and transduction in aneural organisms, New York, London: Plenum Press, pp 299–307
Rhiel E, Häder D-P, Wehrmeyer W (1988a) Photo-orientation in a freshwaterCryptomonas species. J Photochem Photobiol B: Bio 2:123–132
Rhiel E, Häder D-P, Wehrmeyer W (1988b) Diaphotoaxis and gravitaxis in a freshwaterCryptomonas. Plant Cell Physiol 29:755–760
Roberts AM (1970) Geotaxis in motile micro-organisms. J Exp Biol 53:687–699
Schwarz F (1844) Der Einfluß der Schwerkraft auf die Bewegungsrichtung vonChlamydomonas undEuglena. Dt Bot Ges 2:57–72
Serruya C (ed) (1978) Lake Kinneret. Dr. W. Junk b.v., Den Haag
Sobick V, Briegleb W, Block I (1983) Is there an orientation of the nuclei in microplasmodia ofPhysarum polycephalum? The Physiologist 26:129–130
Spector DL (1984) Dinoflagellates. Orlando, Florida: Academic Press
Taneda K (1987) Geotactic behavior inParamecium caudatum. I. Geotaxis assay of individual specimen. Zool Sci 4:781–788
Taneda K, Miyata S, Shiota A (1987) Geotactic behavior inParamecium caudatum. II. Geotaxis assay in a population of the specimens. Zool Sci 4:789–795
Tangen K (1977) Blooms ofGyrodinium aureolum (Dinophyceae) in north European water, accompanied by mortality in marine organisms. Sarsia 63:123–133
Verworn M (1889) Die polare Erregung der Protisten durch den galvanischen Strom. Pflügers Arch Physiol 45:1–36
Winet H, Jahn TL (1974) Geotaxis in protozoa: I. AA propulsion-gravity model forTetrahymena (Ciliata). J Theoret Biol 46:449–455
Wolke A, Niemeyer F, Achenbach F (1987) Geotactic behavior of the acellular myxomycetePhysarum polycephalum. Cell Biol Inter Rep 11:525–528
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Häder, DP., Liu, SM. & Kreuzberg, K. Orientation of the photosynthetic flagellate,Peridinium gatunense, in hypergravity. Current Microbiology 22, 165–172 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02092129
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02092129