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An Automated Method to Determine the Performance of Drosophila in Response to Temperature Changes in Space and Time
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Achieving temperature-size changes in a unicellular organism.

Jack Forster1, Andrew G Hirst, Genoveva F Esteban

  • 1School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.

The ISME Journal
|July 27, 2012
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Summary

The temperature-size rule (TSR) causes larger organisms at cooler temperatures. In unicellular protists, size changes during acclimation are rapid, occurring within one generation, and biomass decreases with rising temperatures.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The temperature-size rule (TSR) describes how organism size responds to temperature, with cooler temperatures yielding larger individuals.
  • This phenomenon is widespread across species but its mechanisms in unicellular organisms remain understudied.
  • Conceptual models propose distinct size-change mechanisms for unicellular and multicellular life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism and timing of temperature-size rule establishment in the unicellular protist Cyclidium glaucoma.
  • To explore the adaptive strategies related to size changes under varying temperatures.
  • To determine the impact of temperature on population growth, carrying capacity, and total biomass.

Main Methods:

  • Measuring cell sizes and population growth rates of Cyclidium glaucoma during thermal acclimation.
  • Analyzing the ratio of mother to daughter cell sizes during and after temperature changes.
  • Assessing carrying capacity and total biomass at different temperatures.

Main Results:

  • Cell size acclimation to temperature occurs rapidly, within approximately one generation.
  • The 2:1 mother-daughter size ratio is temporarily decoupled during acclimation but restored upon reaching a new steady state.
  • Carrying capacity remains unaffected by temperature, but maximum supported biomass declines as temperatures increase.

Conclusions:

  • The temperature-size rule in unicellular organisms is established quickly through rapid acclimation.
  • Size changes are a dynamic process involving temporary shifts in cell division ratios.
  • Decreased biomass at higher temperatures suggests potential trade-offs or limitations for unicellular organisms under thermal stress.