Research Ideas and Outcomes : Research Idea
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Corresponding author: Richard Gordon (dickgordoncan@gmail.com)
Received: 22 Jan 2016 | Published: 22 Jan 2016
© 2016 Richard Gordon.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Gordon R (2016) Partial synchronization of the colonial diatom Bacillaria "paradoxa". Research Ideas and Outcomes 2: e7869. doi: 10.3897/rio.2.e7869
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The unique gliding motion of the cells in the colonial diatom Bacillaria "paradoxa" against one another has intrigued microscopists since 1783. Both the mechanism of movement and of entrainment, which results in partial synchrony, are unsolved.
Experimental and analytical methods that might help solve the synchronization enigma are proposed.
colonial diatom, Bacillaria paradoxa, gliding motility, synchrony
The worldwide colonial diatom Bacillaria "paradoxa" (
The first ever description of a diatom was of the colonial diatom Bacillaria "paradoxa" (Müller, 1783). Colonies are shown in various configurations between which they can smoothly transition on a time scale of seconds.
From the many movies online (
The name of this diatom was recently changed to Bacillaria paxillifer (O. F. Müll.) Hendy (
Collaborations are welcome on any or all aspects.
Gulf Specimen Aquarium & Marine Laboratory, Panacea, Florida USA