Coupled Active Systems Encode an Emergent Hunting Behavior in the Unicellular Predator Lacrymaria olor.

ABSTRACT: Many single-celled protists use rapid morphology changes to perform fast animal-like behaviors. To understand how such behaviors are encoded, we analyzed the hunting dynamics of the predatory ciliate Lacrymaria olor, which locates and captures prey using the tip of a slender "neck" that can rapidly extend more than seven times its body length (500 μm from its body) and retract in seconds. By tracking single cells in real-time over hours and analyzing millions of sub-cellular postures, we find that these fast extension-contraction cycles underlie an emergent hunting behavior that comprehensively samples a broad area within the cell's reach. Although this behavior appears complex, we show that it arises naturally as alternating sub-cellular ciliary and contractile activities rearrange the ce

SUBMITTER: Coyle SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7511173 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature