| Diatom teratologies have intrigued scientists since the XIXth century, with respect to their causes and origins. These deformities, mainly observed in long-term cultures or under high levels of pollution, were poorly considered, until they were recently found to be potential indicators of toxic impairment of freshwaters. However, very little is known about their ecology. In this study, the growth and fitness of morphologically distinct descendants of the same cell line of Gomphonema gracile (teratological vs. non teratological forms) were compared over a typical growth cycle. Contrary to expectations, teratological populations grew slightly faster, at a rate of 0.47 ± 0.03 divisions.day−1, versus 0.41 ± 0.04 for the normal morphotype. They had similar... |
