2021 Volume 61 Issue 1 Pages 016-019
Ciliates are microorganisms found in water environments that feed by accumulating close to solid-liquid interfaces such as pond bottom and waterweed surface. The ability of swimming ciliates to remain near surfaces is crucial for efficient nutrient acquisition. Here, we investigated the dynamics of the near-surface swimming behavior. In our experiments, the cilia of these ciliates lost their propelling activity when encountering a surface, suggesting they have a mechano-sensing system, and the ciliate slid along the surface. Our simulations revealed that not only the loss of ciliary activity but also the cell body aspect ratio was critical for this sliding motion.
