Abstract
Summary As an approach to the elucidation of the mechanism of gliding movement of blue-green algae, Spirulina, the structures of trichomes and individual cells were studied using light and electron microscopes. In the two Spirulina species, S. subsalsa of the tightly coiled trichome and S. platensis of the loosely coiled trichome, the spatial arrangement of thylakoids and the region of contact to the substrate were analyzed by comparison. A characteristic found common to both species was that the locus line of the point of contact to the substrate, which was drawn during the gliding movement, corresponded with the outer edge of thylakoid which was arranged along the long axis of trichome. It raises the possibility that the driving force is generated by proton motive force derived from photosynthesis.
