Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2025
07:40
Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
11.1K
Better together? Lessons on sociality from Trichodesmium.
Meri Eichner1, Keisuke Inomura2, Juan José Pierella Karlusich3
1Centre Algatech, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czech Republic.
Trends in Microbiology
|May 27, 2023
Summary
Colony formation is key to the ecological success of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. This colonial lifestyle creates a dynamic microenvironment, enhancing resilience in a changing ocean.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Oceanography
- Biogeochemical cycles
Background:
- The marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium plays a crucial role in oceanic nitrogen and carbon cycling.
- It exists as individual trichomes or large colonies comprising hundreds of trichomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advantages and disadvantages of Trichodesmium colony formation.
- To analyze the physical, chemical, and biological impacts of colony formation across various scales.
- To link colony formation to Trichodesmium's ecological success and resilience.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing findings on colony formation effects.
- Analysis of physical, chemical, and biological factors influencing colonies.
- Examination of microenvironmental dynamics within colonies.
Main Results:
- Colony formation affects all major life challenges for Trichodesmium.
- Microbial interactions, chemical gradients, particle associations, and motility create a dynamic microenvironment.
- These dynamics are crucial for Trichodesmium's survival and ecological role.
Conclusions:
- Trichodesmium's ecological success is intrinsically linked to its colonial lifestyle.
- The dynamic microenvironment generated by colonies enhances resilience.
- Colony formation strategies may be vital for other marine microorganisms facing environmental change.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Diversity of Protists III
60
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,...
60
01:27Diversity of Protists II
60
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
60
01:27Diversity of Protists IV
49
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...
49
01:15Diversity of Protists I
48
Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
48
01:19Other Algae
49
The group Stramenopiles include some phototrophic microorganisms. Members of this group possess flagella covered in numerous short, hairlike extensions, a feature that inspired the group's name, derived from the Latin words for "straw" and "hair." Some of the main categories of Stramenopiles include diatoms, golden algae, and brown algae.Diatoms are unicellular, photosynthetic eukaryotes, with over 200 known genera. They play a key role in the planktonic communities of both marine and...
49
01:24Diversity of Archaea II
40
Archaea, one of the three domains of life, exhibit remarkable diversity and adaptability, thriving in both extreme and moderate environments. Historically, most identified archaea have been classified into two major phyla: Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota. However, recent molecular studies have expanded this classification to include three additional phyla: Thaumarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota, and Korarchaeota, each exhibiting unique characteristics and ecological roles.Thaumarchaeota: Mesophiles...
40