Presentation Type
Thesis
Department
Biology
Location
Hickingbotham Room 200
Description
Dictyostelium discoideum is a slime mold that serves as a model organism for studying cell growth, interactions, and movement. It has a fast and unique life cycle, transitioning between unicellular and multicellular states depending on the stage of development. While research has explored various factors influencing its movement, little is known about the effects of darkness and microgravity. This study aimed to examine how darkness and microgravity impact the development and migration of D. discoideum. Ten slugs were placed in the center of lactose agar plates, which were then wrapped in black tissue paper and aluminum foil. The plates were either positioned upright in a clinostat box or secured to a rotating apparatus spinning at 1 RPM within the clinostat. After at least 24 hours, researchers analyzed slug migration. Slugs from the stationary plates in darkness exhibited positive gravitaxis, consistent with previous findings. Slugs in the rotating clinostat environment also exhibited positive gravitaxis, but their response was weaker. This suggests that while microgravity reduces the effect of gravity, it does not completely eliminate it.
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Included in
Effect of Darkness and Microgravity on the Development and Movement of Dictyostelium discoideum
Hickingbotham Room 200
Dictyostelium discoideum is a slime mold that serves as a model organism for studying cell growth, interactions, and movement. It has a fast and unique life cycle, transitioning between unicellular and multicellular states depending on the stage of development. While research has explored various factors influencing its movement, little is known about the effects of darkness and microgravity. This study aimed to examine how darkness and microgravity impact the development and migration of D. discoideum. Ten slugs were placed in the center of lactose agar plates, which were then wrapped in black tissue paper and aluminum foil. The plates were either positioned upright in a clinostat box or secured to a rotating apparatus spinning at 1 RPM within the clinostat. After at least 24 hours, researchers analyzed slug migration. Slugs from the stationary plates in darkness exhibited positive gravitaxis, consistent with previous findings. Slugs in the rotating clinostat environment also exhibited positive gravitaxis, but their response was weaker. This suggests that while microgravity reduces the effect of gravity, it does not completely eliminate it.