Microbe of the month
- ARTIS-Micropia
Each month at ARTIS-Micropia, a special microbe is featured. It’s only on display for that month, so be sure not to miss it!
Which microbe is on display this month?
Have you ever wondered, how biologists manage to study the millions of species living on Earth? To simplify this task, scientists make use of model organisms – these are plants, animals or microbes that represent an entire group of organisms, and are easy to study.
This month’s microbe of the month, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is a microscopic alga which scientists use as a model to study how microbes respond to light. It uses an organ called eye spot to detect the direction and intensity of light and two flagella – hair-like structures on one end of their cell – to move towards the most optimal light conditions.
Only this month at ARTIS-Micropia you can witness yourself how Chlamydomonas reinhardtii uses flagella to move around under the microscope.