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Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:18 pm
by macnmotion
Here is my strange sighting of the day. I tracked these three (two?) organisms for more than 20 minutes, fascinated by how they were interacting. The 2 outer organisms appear to be connected anteriorly, as if they are undergoing mitosis, and another organism is attached to one of the first two laterally, as if undergoing conjugation. Is that what's happening here? Also, if anyone can identify these ciliates I would love to know exactly what they are. Is it amphileoptus?
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:16 pm
by apochronaut
Any ciliates I have seen undergoing binary fission, separate by virtue of the posterior separating from the anterior, then each daughter reproduces it's needed parts.
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 11:54 pm
by macnmotion
apochronaut wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:16 pm
Any ciliates I have seen undergoing binary fission, separate by virtue of the posterior separating from the anterior, then each daughter reproduces it's needed parts.
So then this is one ciliate conjugating with two other ciliates at the same time?
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 12:31 am
by apochronaut
Not sure. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will pipe up. I have seen some pretty odd things in nudging 60 years of microscopy.
I will have another look at the video.
I go back to protist behaviour as an observational goal. Not so much structure. Structure is old news.
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:39 am
by apochronaut
Looks more like a mènage á trois.
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:58 am
by macnmotion
apochronaut wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:39 am
Looks more like a mènage á trois.
Yes, that's probably what I'd title my longer, more complete video. It really doesn't resemble any mitosis I've seen. I just never knew that one protist could conjugate with two others at the same time. If the micronuclei divide, transfer and rejoin, creating new macronuclei in each, then how would this work with 3 partners? Would the organism conjugating with two others end up with too many micro- and macronuclei? Hopefully there's a biologist in this group that can answer that question.
Re: Are mitosis and conjugation at the same time possible?
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:32 am
by apochronaut
Conjugation is this quite creative mechanism that is induced due to stress, such as a reduced food supply. Too bad it doesn't happen that way in Homo Sapiens. We seem to blunder on guns ablazing irregardless. Perhaps the ciliates have something to pass on to us?