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Tracking of Flagellates by Image Analysis

  • Chapter
Biological Motion

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Biomathematics ((LNBM,volume 89))

Abstract

Oriented movement of flagellates with respect to the stimulus direction such as light or gravity is tracked in real time using image analysis. The organisms are observed in dark field in order to enhance the contrast using a CCD camera. Algorithms have been developed to follow the track of randomly selected organisms for a predefined period of time. Velocity and angular deviation can be extracted from the raw data. Histograms constructed from these data show that the organisms orient with respect to light and gravity often using antagonistic responses to accumulate in distinct horizons of suitable conditions. This can be verified by using a vertical plexiglass column inserted into a natural habitat from which samples are taken at regular time intervals along the length of the tube, which indicates that the populations undergo daily vertical migrations which serve to keep the photosynthetic organisms in suitable light conditions for photosynthesis and to avoid too bright irradiation which can photobleach or even kill the population.

Solar ultraviolet radiation has been found to damage photoorientation and motility in a number of phytoplankton flagellates even at currently observed levels. The mechanism of inhibition does not seem to involve DNA damage or photodynamic responses but rather affect the pigment composition of the cells directly. Any increase in the solar UV-B radiation due to a partion destruction of the stratospheric ozon layer by e.g. CFC gases may adversly affect the biomass production and contribute to global climate changes because the oceanic phytoplankton communities are the major sink for atmospheric CO2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Botanik und Pharmazeutische Biologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, D-8520, Erlangen, Germany

    Donat P. Häder

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  1. Donat P. Häder
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Theoretische Biologie, Universität Bonn, 5300, Bonn, Germany

    Wolfgang Alt

  2. Zoologisches Institut II, Universität Würzburg, 8700, Würzburg, Germany

    Gerhard Hoffmann

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Häder, D.P. (1990). Tracking of Flagellates by Image Analysis. In: Alt, W., Hoffmann, G. (eds) Biological Motion. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 89. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-51664-1_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-51664-1_25

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-53520-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-51664-1

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