Differential Phototactic Behavior of Closely Related Cyanobacterial Isolates from Yellowstone Hot Spring Biofilms
Published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2022
Joint work with Carlos Rivas, Victoria Calatrava, Amanda N. Shelton, Arthur Grossman, and Devaki Bhaya
Optimizing light absorption is of paramount importance to photosynthetic organisms. Some photosynthetic microbes have evolved a sophisticated process called phototaxis to move toward or away from a light source. In many hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, cyanobacteria thrive in thick, laminated biofilms or microbial mats, where small movements can result in large changes in light exposure. We quantified the light-dependent motility behaviors in isolates representing two of the most abundant and closely related cyanobacterial species from these springs. We found that they exhibited unexpected differences in their speed, directionality, and responses to different intensities or qualities of light. An examination of their genomes revealed several variations from well-studied phototaxis-related genes. Studying these recently isolated cyanobacteria reveals that diverse phototactic strategies can exist even among close relatives in the same environment. It also provides insights into the importance of phototaxis for growth and survival in microbial biofilm communities.
Recommended citation: Freddy Bunbury, Carlos Rivas, Victoria Calatrava, Amanda N. Shelton, Arthur Grossman, and Devaki Bhaya. “Differential Phototactic Behavior of Closely Related Cyanobacterial Isolates from Yellowstone Hot Spring Biofilms.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2022): e00196-22.