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Selective silicate-directed motility in diatoms.

Bondoc, Karen Grace V ; Heuschele, Jan LU ; Gillard, Jeroen ; Vyverman, Wim and Pohnert, Georg (2016) In Nature Communications 7.
Abstract
Diatoms are highly abundant unicellular algae that often dominate pelagic as well as benthic primary production in the oceans and inland waters. Being strictly dependent on silica to build their biomineralized cell walls, marine diatoms precipitate 240 × 10(12) mol Si per year, which makes them the major sink in the global Si cycle. Dissolved silicic acid (dSi) availability frequently limits diatom productivity and influences species composition of communities. We show that benthic diatoms selectively perceive and behaviourally react to gradients of dSi. Cell speed increases under dSi-limited conditions in a chemokinetic response and, if gradients of this resource are present, increased directionality of cell movement promotes chemotaxis.... (More)
Diatoms are highly abundant unicellular algae that often dominate pelagic as well as benthic primary production in the oceans and inland waters. Being strictly dependent on silica to build their biomineralized cell walls, marine diatoms precipitate 240 × 10(12) mol Si per year, which makes them the major sink in the global Si cycle. Dissolved silicic acid (dSi) availability frequently limits diatom productivity and influences species composition of communities. We show that benthic diatoms selectively perceive and behaviourally react to gradients of dSi. Cell speed increases under dSi-limited conditions in a chemokinetic response and, if gradients of this resource are present, increased directionality of cell movement promotes chemotaxis. The ability to exploit local and short-lived dSi hotspots using a specific search behaviour likely contributes to micro-scale patch dynamics in biofilm communities. On a global scale this behaviour might affect sediment-water dSi fluxes and biogeochemical cycling. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Communications
volume
7
article number
10540
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:26842428
  • scopus:84957537290
  • wos:000371013400005
  • pmid:26842428
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/ncomms10540
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
339fbc58-a6e1-47d1-83cf-0960b72cb5f7 (old id 8829375)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:43:06
date last changed
2022-04-08 04:28:07
@article{339fbc58-a6e1-47d1-83cf-0960b72cb5f7,
  abstract     = {{Diatoms are highly abundant unicellular algae that often dominate pelagic as well as benthic primary production in the oceans and inland waters. Being strictly dependent on silica to build their biomineralized cell walls, marine diatoms precipitate 240 × 10(12) mol Si per year, which makes them the major sink in the global Si cycle. Dissolved silicic acid (dSi) availability frequently limits diatom productivity and influences species composition of communities. We show that benthic diatoms selectively perceive and behaviourally react to gradients of dSi. Cell speed increases under dSi-limited conditions in a chemokinetic response and, if gradients of this resource are present, increased directionality of cell movement promotes chemotaxis. The ability to exploit local and short-lived dSi hotspots using a specific search behaviour likely contributes to micro-scale patch dynamics in biofilm communities. On a global scale this behaviour might affect sediment-water dSi fluxes and biogeochemical cycling.}},
  author       = {{Bondoc, Karen Grace V and Heuschele, Jan and Gillard, Jeroen and Vyverman, Wim and Pohnert, Georg}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{Selective silicate-directed motility in diatoms.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10540}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/ncomms10540}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}