Active oscillations in microscale navigation

Abstract

Living organisms routinely navigate their surroundings in search of better conditions, more food, or to avoid predators. Typically, animals do so by integrating sensory cues from the environment with their locomotor apparatuses. For single cells or small organisms that possess motility, fundamental physical constraints imposed by their small size have led to alternative navigation strategies that are specific to the microscopic world. Intriguingly, underlying these myriad exploratory behaviours or sensory functions is the onset of periodic activity at multiple scales, such as the undulations of cilia and flagella, the vibrations of hair cells, or the oscillatory shape modes of migrating neutrophils. Here, I explore oscillatory dynamics in basal microeukaryotes and hypothesize that these active oscillations play a critical role in enhancing the fidelity of adaptive sensorimotor integration.

Inter-turn intervals in Paramecium caudatum display an exponential distribution

“…Many mobile organisms show directed movements often called orientation or navigation [ 1–6 ], including microscopic organisms [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]. A common form of orientation – perhaps the most common – is chemotaxis [ 3 , 4 , 8 , 9 ], found in many forms of micro-organisms, including both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, as well as animals with nervous systems.…”