FORAMINIFERA: ANCIENT NANOFABRICATORS

Samuel S. Bowser, Roy Kinoshita, Sara Myer and Joan M. Bernhard
Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY 12201

Foraminifera are an ancient group of amoeboid protists, and fossil evidence suggests they are among the first organisms to construct extracellular body coverings (i.e., shells comprised of agglutinated mineral grains or secreted calcite). Since the early Cambrian, foraminiferal shells have adopted a bewildering range of morphologies, which in many cases appear to be optimally designed for particular environmental conditions or trophic strategies. Foraminifera therefore represent a potentially useful group for examining the evolution and function of biological "nano- and microengineered" structures. We will present results from recent studies demonstrating that larger (>1 mm) agglutinated foraminifera utilize tensegrity principles in maintaining shell form. We will also consider the shell surface as a platform upon which their unique pseudopodia can perform work (ripping open prey). Examples where the shell surface is thought to modify fluid motion (e.g., to maximize particle impaction upon pseudopodia) or to serve as lenses focusing light on endosymbiotic algae will also be discussed. This non-traditional view of the protistan shell is likely to foster a new understanding of the ecology and evolution of these "primitive" organisms.