Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal

Summary: Dispersal is the movement of organisms from one habitat to another that potentially results in gene flow. It is often plastic, allowing organisms to adjust dispersal movements depending on environmental conditions. A fundamental aim in ecology is to understand the determinants underlying di...

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Main Authors: Anthony D. Junker, Staffan Jacob, Hervé Philippe, Delphine Legrand, Chad G. Pearson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-08-01
Series:iScience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422100883X
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spelling doaj-4dbc91b5b3b149618aa5de7be7598a6a2021-08-22T04:30:50ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422021-08-01248102915Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersalAnthony D. Junker0Staffan Jacob1Hervé Philippe2Delphine Legrand3Chad G. Pearson4Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USAStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UPR5321, CNRS, 09200, Moulis, FranceStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UPR5321, CNRS, 09200, Moulis, FranceStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UPR5321, CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France; Corresponding authorDepartment of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: Dispersal is the movement of organisms from one habitat to another that potentially results in gene flow. It is often plastic, allowing organisms to adjust dispersal movements depending on environmental conditions. A fundamental aim in ecology 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 impacting 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 environmental 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422100883XMicroorganismEvolutionary biologyCell biology
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Anthony D. Junker
Staffan Jacob
Hervé Philippe
Delphine Legrand
Chad G. Pearson
spellingShingle Anthony D. Junker
Staffan Jacob
Hervé Philippe
Delphine Legrand
Chad G. Pearson
Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
iScience
Microorganism
Evolutionary biology
Cell biology
author_facet Anthony D. Junker
Staffan Jacob
Hervé Philippe
Delphine Legrand
Chad G. Pearson
author_sort Anthony D. Junker
title Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
title_short Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
title_full Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
title_fullStr Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
title_full_unstemmed Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
title_sort plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal
publisher Elsevier
series iScience
issn 2589-0042
publishDate 2021-08-01
description Summary: Dispersal is the movement of organisms from one habitat to another that potentially results in gene flow. It is often plastic, allowing organisms to adjust dispersal movements depending on environmental conditions. A fundamental aim in ecology 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 impacting 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 environmental 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.
topic Microorganism
Evolutionary biology
Cell biology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422100883X
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AT staffanjacob plasticcellmorphologychangesduringdispersal
AT hervephilippe plasticcellmorphologychangesduringdispersal
AT delphinelegrand plasticcellmorphologychangesduringdispersal
AT chadgpearson plasticcellmorphologychangesduringdispersal
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