Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Quantification of Acanthamoeba spp. Motility
07:33

Quantification of Acanthamoeba spp. Motility

Published on: September 20, 2024

Amoebae anticipate periodic events

Tetsu Saigusa1, Atsushi Tero, Toshiyuki Nakagaki

  • 1Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13 W8, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan.

Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2008
PubMed

Insights

True slime mold Physarum anticipates environmental changes by adjusting its speed. This behavior suggests a predictive mechanism in response to recurring unfavorable conditions, even when conditions become favorable.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mycology

Background:

  • True slime mold Physarum exhibits complex behaviors in response to environmental stimuli.
  • Understanding adaptive mechanisms in simple organisms provides insights into fundamental biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the anticipatory behavior of Physarum plasmodia when exposed to cyclical unfavorable conditions.
  • To explore the underlying mechanisms of this predictive behavior using a dynamical systems approach.

Main Methods:

  • Physarum plasmodia were subjected to repeated pulses of unfavorable conditions at fixed intervals.
  • Locomotive speed was monitored to observe responses to both unfavorable and subsequent favorable conditions.
  • A dynamical systems perspective was employed to analyze the observed behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Plasmodia reduced locomotive speed upon exposure to each unfavorable condition pulse.
  • Following a period of favorable conditions, plasmodia exhibited spontaneous speed reductions at predicted times of unfavorable stimuli.
  • This demonstrates an anticipatory response to impending environmental changes.

Conclusions:

  • Physarum demonstrates anticipation of recurring environmental changes, a sophisticated adaptive behavior.
  • The study provides a dynamical systems framework for understanding this predictive capability in slime molds.
  • This research sheds light on the evolution of anticipatory mechanisms in biological systems.

More Related Videos

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans09:06

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans

Published on: September 18, 2020

Discovery of New Intracellular Pathogens by Amoebal Coculture and Amoebal Enrichment Approaches09:04

Discovery of New Intracellular Pathogens by Amoebal Coculture and Amoebal Enrichment Approaches

Published on: October 27, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Protists IV01:27

Diversity of Protists IV

Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
Diversity of Protists III01:27

Diversity of Protists III

Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...
Cell Motility through Blebbing01:16

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Surface Appendages of Archaea01:23

Surface Appendages of Archaea

Archaeal surface appendages are highly specialized structures essential for environmental adaptation, encompassing roles in adhesion, biofilm formation, and motility. Among these appendages, pili and archaella stand out for their distinct morphologies and functionalities, enabling archaea to thrive in diverse and often extreme environments.Pili: Adhesion and Biofilm FormationPili are filamentous structures assembled from pilin protein subunits, primarily contributing to adhesion and biofilm...
Amebiasis01:28

Amebiasis

Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.