Even single-celled organisms feed themselves in 'smart' manner
Monday, February 15, 2010 - 15:14
in Biology & Nature
How does a single-celled organism, one of the simplest life forms on Earth, manage to satisfy its nutritional needs? It is by studying social amoebae, elementary organisms that are distantly related to fungi and plants, that researchers in France have, for the first time, demonstrated the nutritional preferences of such systems. Despite lacking a centralizing organ, such amoebae are capable of regulating their nutrient supply. When faced with diverse nutritional situations, they adapt so as always to select an optimal ratio of nutrients.