Abstract

The focus of this study was to determine the mating type of Schizostauron trachyderma and examine the relationship between cell size (life cycle), lipid droplet size, and lipid content among diatoms with similar cell dimensions. To accomplish that, we have chosen monoclonal cultures of two closely related diatom species, namely S. trachyderma and S. rawaii. In a series of experiments, we successfully induced sexual reproduction within S. trachyderma strains to reconstruct the whole cell cycle involving cells of the maximum (initial cells) and minimum viable size for a given species. The mating-type and sexual reproduction stages were described and documented. A unique experimental setting involved initial cell isolation and their lipid droplet examination using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy after Nile Red staining. The results of the series of experiments indicate correlations between cell size, the number of neutral lipids per cell, and the size of lipid droplets, suggesting that cell capacity for lipid accumulation is dependent on their position in the life cycle.

Highlights

  • Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) are eukaryotic, single-cell photosynthetic microalgae that can be found in every aquatic ecosystem

  • Breeding Behavior and Life Cycle Successful sexual reproduction was observed in the mixture of five sexually compatible monoclonal cultures isolated from Saudi Arabia (SZCZ E1420, E1421, E1422, E1426, and E1427)

  • Clones Szczecin Diatom Culture Collection (SZCZ) E1422 and SZCZ E1426 engaged in sexual reproduction with clones representing the opposite mating types, namely, SZCZ E1420, SZCZ E1421, and SZCZ E1427

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Summary

Introduction

Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) are eukaryotic, single-cell photosynthetic microalgae that can be found in every aquatic ecosystem. As part of microphytobenthos, belong to the major group that micrograzers and higher trophic level communities from the most productive coastal systems seem to sustain on (Falkowski and Woodhead, 1992) due to the valuable lipids accumulated by diatoms as storage material. For this reason, the lipid content of the diatomaceous cell is grazed by herbivorous protists (Sherr and Sherr, 2007), invertebrates (Kelly and Scheibling, 2012), as well as vertebrates, e.g., fish (Gardner et al, 1990). A diatom frustule consists of two valves (a bigger epivalve and a smaller hypovalve) connected by the girdle composed of band-like elements

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