Euplotes gigatrox Turns Cannibal at 140 Micrometers as Supergiants Stay Under 5% of Colonies
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 5
Euplotes gigatrox Turns Cannibal at 140 Micrometers as Supergiants Stay Under 5% of Colonies
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 5
Summary
Researchers found Euplotes gigatrox can spontaneously enlarge from about 54 to 140 micrometers, then hunt and engulf clone cells at roughly one victim every 10 minutes.
Food scarcity appears to drive the shift: supergiants emerged only after fast population growth leveled off and did not appear when bacteria remained abundant.
That predatory form comes with a tradeoff—supergiants lose normal swimming ability, hunt mainly along surfaces, and revert to standard size within 24 hours.
Gene-expression analysis identified one program tied to becoming a supergiant and another linked to the post-reversion latency period, when cells are less likely to transform again.
Supergiants never exceeded 5% of a colony, suggesting a bet-hedging survival strategy in crowded populations nearing carrying capacity.