Ciliary beat and cell motility of <i>Dunaliella</i>: computer analysis of high speed microcinematography

Abstract

A high‐speed microcinematographic study was performed on the biflagellate unicellular alga Dunaliella . A frame‐by‐frame analysis has shown that the two flagella never beat at the same frequency. For a better characterization of the bending pattern of the two flagella, a new automated method of image analysis has been developed. The method allowed an automatic acquisition of a line characterizing the Dunaliella flagellum and its mathematical modelling. From this model, some binding parameters could be automatically measured, which have permitted determination of the velocities of formation and propagation of flagellar waves and the variation of the curvature radius of the bends between the two flagella. Both flagella showed a similar pattern of ciliary beat. The most important difference was the lengthening of the initiation phase for the slower flagella.