Ice gliding diatoms establish record-low temperature limits for motility in a eukaryotic cell

Despite periods of permanent darkness and extensive ice coverage in polar environments, photosynthetic ice diatoms display a remarkable capability of living inside the ice matrix. How these organisms navigate such hostile conditions with limited light and extreme cold remains unknown. Using a custom sub-zero temperature microscope during an Arctic expedition, we present the discovery of motility at record-low temperatures in a Eukaryotic cell. By characterizing the gliding motility of several ice diatom species, collected from ice cores in the Chukchi Sea, we record that they retain motility at temperatures as low as –15 Â°C. Remarkably, ice diatoms can glide on ice substrates, a capability absent in temperate diatoms of the same genus. This unique ability arises from adaptations in extracellular mucilage that allow ice diatoms to adhere to ice, essential for gliding. Even on glass substrates where both cell types retain motility at freezing temperatures, ice diatoms move an order o..., , # Ice gliding diatoms establish record-low temperature limits for motility in a eukaryotic cell

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txt2](10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txt2)

## Description of the data and file structure

These datasets contain measurements supporting the discovery of ice gliding motility of diatoms in the Arctic. Data were collected during a 45-day expedition in the Chukchi Sea and through subsequent laboratory experiments. The dataset is organized into three categories:

1. **Adhesion Strength Measurements:** Data from experiments measuring the adhesion force of diatoms on different surfaces.
2. **Gliding Motility Assays:** Video recordings and summary data of diatom motility across a wide range of temperatures.
3. **Particle-Image Velocimetry, Particle-Tracking Velocimetry and Traction-Force Microscopy:** Data used to visualize fluid flow, ventral region flow, and measure the physical forces exerted by diatoms.

## 1. Adhesion Strength Measurements

This section contains data fro...,