Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
Résumé
Dispersal is the movement of organisms from one habitat to another that poten- tially results in gene flow. It is often plastic, allowing organisms to adjust dispersal movements depending on environmental conditions. A fundamental aim in ecol- ogy is to understand the determinants underlying dispersal and its plasticity. We utilized 22 strains of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila to determine if different phenotypic dispersal strategies co-exist within a species and which mechanisms underlie this variability. We quantified the cell morphologies impact- ing cell motility and dispersal. Distinct differences in innate cellular morphology and dispersal rates were detected, but no universally utilized combinations of morphological parameters correlate with dispersal. Rather, multiple distinct and plastic morphological changes impact cilia-dependent motility during dispersal, especially in proficient dispersing strains facing challenging environ- mental conditions. Combining ecology and cell biology experiments, we show that dispersal can be promoted through plastic motility-associated changes to cell morphology and motile cilia.
Domaines
Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]
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