AUTHOR=Suematsu Nobuhiko J. , Yamashita Hiroshi , Iima Makoto 

TITLE=Bioconvection pattern of Euglena under periodical illumination

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2023.1134002

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2023.1134002

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=<p>Microorganisms respond to environmental conditions and often spontaneously form highly ordered convection patterns. This mechanism has been well-studied from the viewpoint of self-organization. However, environmental conditions in nature are usually dynamic. Naturally, biological systems respond to temporal changes in environmental condition. To elucidate the response mechanisms in such a dynamic environment, we observed the bioconvection pattern of <italic>Euglena</italic> under periodical changes in illumination. It is known that <italic>Euglena</italic> shows localized bioconvection patterns under constant homogeneous illumination from the bottom. Periodical changes in light intensity induced two different types of spatiotemporal patterns: alternation of formation and decomposition over a long period and complicated transition of pattern over a short period. Our observations suggest that pattern formation in a periodically changing environment is of fundamental importance to the behavior of biological systems.</p>