Action Spectrum for Sporulation and Photoavoidance in the Plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum, as Modified Differentially by Temperature and Starvation

Abstract— The Plasmodium of the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum sporulates in bright natural environments, suggesting a relationship between photobehavior and sporulation. Thus, the action spectra for two light-dependent phenomena as well as the effects of other environmental conditions have been studied. Sporulation like photo-avoidance responded to UVC (near 270 nm) and near IR (near 750 nm) in addition to the well-documented UVA (near 350 nm) and blue (near 460 nm) regions. Sporulation and photoavoidance had similar sensitivities in the shorter wavelengths, while the former was about 100 times more sensitive in near IR. The Plasmodium moved away from light in a wide spectral range. Starvation and high temperature at 31°C (25°C in standard conditions) reduced photoavoidance to UVA and to blue light, respectively. A high fluence rate of UVC suppressed the rhythmic contraction of the Plasmodium, and the action spectrum peaked at 270 nm. These results indicate that the Physarum Plasmodium may stay at brighter places not by positive phototaxis but by weakening the negative phototaxis to sunlight or by other possible taxes such as hydrotaxis. There may be at least four different photo-systems in the Plasmodium.