Sex or food? Decision-making in single-cell organisms

(Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology) Unicellular diatoms are able to adapt their behavior to different external stimuli based on an evaluation of their own needs. This was discovered by scientists of the Friedrich Schiller University and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, together with partners from Belgium. In experiments, Seminavis robusta diatoms directed their orientation either towards nutrient sources or mating partners, depending on the degree of starvation and the need to mate.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news