Effect of external factors on phototaxis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The effects of several cations on phototaxis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been studied with the aid of an automated phototaxis monitoring device, coupled with a continuous culture. Sodium, potassium and magnesium ions, if added to the complete nutrient medium, have only slight effects on phototaxis at lower concentrations (10^-3 mol), but inhibit at higher concentrations (10^-2 mol). This inhibitory effect is not specific because motility is also impaired. Addition of 10^-3 mol calcium enhances the phototactic reaction for some hours, but then the stimulation decreases gradually. Addition of 10^-2 mol calcium causes strong inhibition. However, the reactivity recovers gradually during the following hours. If 10^-3 mol potassium which does not influence phototaxis if added alone is applied simultaneously with calcium, the stimulation by calcium is enhanced. By the addition of 5·10^-4—2·10^-3 mol Ca²⁺ or Ca²⁺+K⁺ cicadian rhythms with an average period length of 24 h are initiated which damp out after 1–2 weeks. If the cells are grown in a calcium deficient medium or if calcium is removed, phototactic activity decreases to very low reaction values or to zero, but is drastically increased immediately after the addition of calcium. The stimulatory effect of Ca²⁺ ions is specific. Ca²⁺ cannot be fully substituted by Ba²⁺ or Sr²⁺, and phototaxis is reversibly inhibited by lanthanum which is known to inhibit the calcium pump.     

Phototactic response and light sensitivity in an epigean and a hypogean population of a barb (Garra barreimiae, Cyprinidae)

We investigated the response of two populations of the barb Garra barreimiae to different light intensities (0.5–2000 lx) from a light source. Adults of both the surface (epigean) and cave (hypogean) G. barreimiae populations show photophobic behavior. A photophobic response in the cave form was seen only at higher light intensities because the cavefish are eyeless and rely on extra-retinal light receptors to detect light. In contrast, juveniles (surface and cave) showed photophilic behavior, and their preference for the photic zone of the test tank decreased with increasing age. We discuss the potential role played by photophobic behavior for the colonization of caves by previously surface-dwelling fishes.     

Biotype of the purple nonsulfur photosynthetic bacterium,Rhodospirillum centenum

Rhodospirillum centenum exhibited a number of general properties typically observed in nonsulfur purple bacteria, but also displayed a number of unusual characteristics that include: (1) conversion of the vibrioid/spiral cells to thick-walled cysts under certain growth conditions; (2) absence of O₂ repression of photopigment synthesis; (3) synthesis of “R-bodies”; and (4) swarming motility on agar surfaces that allows macroscopic observation of colony phototaxis. The unusual characteristics indicate that Rsp.centenum will prove to be a valuable experimental system for investigating various basic problems, especially in connection with photosensory phenomena and the regulation of photopigment synthesis by dioxygen and light. The present comparative study of 13 strains was undertaken to further define the Rsp. centenum biotype. Received: 3 August 1995 / Accepted: 1 November 1995     

Chloroquine,a lysosomotropic agent,inhibits zygote formation in yeast

The effects of solar UV-B radiation on the green flagellate, Euglena gracilis, are measured under controlled conditions. Both photoorientation and motility are drastically impaired even after short exposure times of a few hours to sunlight not filtered by an ozone cuvette. Phototactic orientation starts to deteriorate after about 90 min and is completely lost after about 5 h. The percentage of motile cells in a population decreases likewise after an exposure of about 2 h and the velocity distributions shows a reduced speed of movement after an initial photokinetic increase. The damage is irreversible: in populations exposed for >2 h no living cell was found 24 h later. The UV-B sensitivity seems to be independent of the culture age at least over three weeks: While the percentage of motile cells changes with a peak at about 8 d, the relative UV-B induced inhibition is constant and depends only on the UV dose. DNA seems not to be the primary UV-B target since UV-B inhibition could not be repaired during subsequent dark or moderate light conditions even after low doses.     

Effects of calcium channel blockers on phototaxis and motility of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The effects of the four calcium channel blockers flunarizine, verapamil, diltiazem and nimodipine on motility and phototaxis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtio have been tested with a fully automated and computerized population system. Flunarizine inhibits motility transiently by causing the detachement of the flagella which, however, are regenerated during some hours. Phototaxis is inhibited to the same extent, but this is simply the result of the decreased motility and, hence, a non-specific effect. Verapamil causes also a detachement of the flagella with following regeneration, but in addition motility and phototaxis are inhibited by this drug to different extents, indicating the involvement of calcium channels in both processes. Diltiazem and nimodipine inhibit phototaxis without impairing motility, indicating that both processes are regulated in different ways. If diltiazem and nimodipine are applied simultaneously, no additive inhibitory effect can be observed. However, the combination of both blockers with verapamil causes and additive inhibitory effect as if verapamil is applied alone. By increasing the external calcium concentration from 10^-4 M to 10^-3 M the optimum of positive phototaxis is shifted to higher fluence rates. This shifting occurs also in the presence of channel blockers, but the strength of the positive reaction is influenced. These results point to the involvement of calcium channels in both phototaxis and motility, but simultaneously demonstrate the different sensitivity of the two processes to these drugs.Abbreviations DIL diltiazem (=benzothiazepine) - FLU flunarizine (=(E)-1-(bis-(4-fluorophenyl(methyl)-4-(3-phenyl-2-propenyl)piperazinex2HCl) - NIM nimodipine (=1,4-dihydropyridine) - VER verapamil (=diphenylalkylamine) CaM, calmodulin - PDE phosphodiesterase - DMSO dimethylsulfoxide     

Where to from here? The mechanisms enabling the movement of first instar caterpillars on whole plants using Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an economically-important, polyphagous herbivore in Old World countries. The distribution of larvae within various host plants has been described, but few studies have tried to determine the behavioural mechanisms by which the given distributions arose. Our aim was to determine the mechanisms which enable larval movement on pea plants, starting with first instars. Observations and bioassays determined larval movement in response to light and angled surfaces, as well as the effect of feeding and plant volatiles on these responses. The majority (68–72%) of 1st instars were positively phototactic towards blue, green and white light and 42% towards UV light. In the dark, larvae showed negative geotaxis. The angle of their substrate also had a kinetic effect on larvae; the steeper the angle from horizontal the more larvae moved under all conditions. Phenylacetaldehyde (a flower volatile) suppressed larval movement except at 90°. (Z)-3-Hexenyl acetate (a green leaf volatile) reversed the direction of movement at the flattest angle. Feeding lessened the probability of moving. We suggest that phototaxis and geotaxis are behaviours common to larval lepidopterans (caterpillars), and that these basic behaviours are modulated by environmental, larval, and plant factors to give observed distributions. Using a multinomial model approach, we created a flow chart to qualitatively and quantitatively represent the decision-making process of first instar H. armigera in response to the factors influencing movement.     

The effect of respiration on the phototactic behavior of the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodospirillum centenum

The effect of respiration on the positive phototactic movement of swarming agar colonies of the facultative phototroph Rhodospirillum centenum was studied. When the electron flow was blocked at the bc ₁ complex level by myxothiazol, the oriented movement of the colonies was totally blocked. Conversely, inhibition of respiration via the cytochrome c oxidase stimulated the phototactic response. No phototaxis was observed in a photosynthesis deficient mutant (YB707) lacking bacteriochlorophylls. Analyses of the respiratory activities as monitored by a oxygen microelectrode in single agar colonies during light/dark transitions showed a close functional correlation between the photosynthetic and respiratory apparatuses. The respiratory chain of Rsp. centenum was formed by two oxidative pathways: one branch leading to a cytochrome c oxidase inhibited by low cyanide concentrations and a second pathway formed by an oxidase less-sensitive to cyanide that also catalyzes the light-driven respiration. These results were interpreted to indicate that (1) there is a cyclic electron transport, and (2) photoinduced cyclic electron flow is required for the phototactic response of Rsp. centenum. Furthermore, under oxic conditions in the light, reducing equivalents may switch from photosynthetic to respiratory components so as to reduce both the membrane potential and the rate of locomotion. Received: 25 September 1996 / Accepted: 11 November 1996     

Nocturnal orientation of robins, Erithacus rubecula: birds caught during migratory flight are disoriented

For conventional experiments on the orientation behavior of migrant birds in funnels, either hand-raised birds or birds caught during resting periods at stopover sites are generally used. Topographic circumstances at the Alpine pass Col de Bretolet at the Switzerland/France border allow the capture of birds during active migratory flight during the whole night. These birds are in full migratory disposition. We expected them to orient in the seasonally appropriate direction more accurately than birds that had not experienced migration just before the funnel experiment. Experiments with robins, however, revealed a strong influence of the moon on the orientation behavior. The birds did not orient in the seasonally expected migratory direction but showed positive phototaxis, usually toward the lightest part of the funnel in the direction opposite to the moon. When the moon was absent the robins were disoriented. Sunset experiments with robins caught during the night before the experiment revealed a strong phototactic reaction toward the setting sun. As reasons for this poor orientation in the absence of light stimuli, the influence of the topography of the mountainous region and magnetic anomalies can be excluded. It is concluded that freshly caught birds are too stressed when tested immediately after capture or that the migration direction cannot be maintained. Testing of night migrants in complete darkness is also of disadvantage. Received: 23 December 1998 / Received in revised form: 16 July 1999 / Accepted: 30 July 1999     

The time course of dark adaptation in the bee: a phototactic and electrophysiological investigation

ABSTRACT. The time course of dark adaptation in Apis melifera L. was investigated by analyses of phototactic behaviour and electroretinogram (ERG). The behavioural results give a function for dark adaptation showing that in the dark after strong light adaptation the sensitivity increases exponentially with a time constant of 3 min. The sensitivity changes c. 2.4 log units during the time span of 5–720 s. The electrophysiological results indicate a smaller change in sensitivity at the level of the photoreceptors. Within a time span between 20 and 720 s the sensitivity increases during dark adaptation by a factor of 4.3 on a linear scale.     

Light-induced switching of HAMP domain conformation and dynamics revealed by time-resolved EPR spectroscopy

HAMP domains are widely abundant signaling modules. The putative mechanism of their function comprises switching between two distinct states. To unravel these conformational transitions, we apply site-directed spin labeling and time-resolved EPR spectroscopy to the phototactic receptor/transducer complex NpSRII/NpHtrII. We characterize the kinetic coupling of NpHtrII to NpSRII along with the activation period of the transducer and follow the transient conformational signal. The observed transient shift towards a more compact state of the HAMP domain upon light-activation agrees with structure-based calculations. It thereby validates the two modeled signaling states and integrates the domain’s dynamics into the current model.