Editing Tetrahymena (section)

=== Enhanced motility and dispersal ===
''T. thermophila'' also undergoes phenotypic changes when faced with limited resource availability. Cells are capable of changing their shape and size, along with behavioral swimming strategies in response to starvation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Junker |first1=Anthony D. |last2=Jacob |first2=Staffan |last3=Philippe |first3=Hervé |last4=Legrand |first4=Delphine |last5=Pearson |first5=Chad G. |title=Plastic cell morphology changes during dispersal |journal=iScience |date=August 2021 |volume=24 |issue=8 |pages=102915 |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2021.102915 |pmc=8367785 |pmid=34430806 |bibcode=2021iSci...24j2915J }}</ref> The more motile cells that change in response to starvation are known as dispersers, or disperser cells. While rates and levels of phenotypic change differ between strains, disperser cells form in nearly all strains of ''T. thermophila'' when faced with starvation. Dispersers, and non-dispersing cells both become dramatically thinner and smaller, increasing the basal body and cilia density, allowing them to swim between two and three times faster than normal cells.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fjerdingstad |first1=Else J |last2=Schtickzelle |first2=Nicolas |last3=Manhes |first3=Pauline |last4=Gutierrez |first4=Arnaud |last5=Clobert |first5=Jean |title=Evolution of dispersal and life history strategies – Tetrahymena ciliates |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |date=2007 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=133 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-7-133 |pmc=1997130 |pmid=17683620 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007BMCEE...7..133F }}</ref> Some strains of ''T. thermophila'' have also been found to develop a single, non-beating, enlarged cilia that assists the cell in steering or directing movement. While the behavior has been shown to correlate with faster dispersal and form as a reversible trait in ''Tetrahymena'' cells, little is known about the genetic or cellular mechanisms that allow for its development. Furthermore, other studies show that when genetically variable populations of ''T. thermophila'' were starved, dispersal cells actually increased in cell length, despite still becoming thinner.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jacob |first1=Staffan |last2=Laurent |first2=Estelle |last3=Morel-Journel |first3=Thibaut |last4=Schtickzelle |first4=Nicolas |title=Fragmentation and the context-dependence of dispersal syndromes: matrix harshness modifies resident-disperser phenotypic differences in microcosms |journal=Oikos |date=February 2020 |volume=129 |issue=2 |pages=158–169 |doi=10.1111/oik.06857 |bibcode=2020Oikos.129..158J |s2cid=208584362 }}</ref> More research is needed to determine the genetic mechanisms that underlie disperser formation.