<b>Data from the article: "</b><b><i>Active Displacement of a Unique Diatom–Ciliate Symbiotic </i></b><b><i>Association</i></b><b>"</b>

We describe the movement patterns of the non-motile, chain-forming diatoms (C. coarctatus) carried by epibiotic ciliates (V. oceanica). The reported data on the Chaetoceros–Vorticella association illustrated the consortium’s ability to generate distinct motility patterns. We established that the currents generated by the attached ciliates, along with the variability in the contraction and relaxation of ciliate stalks in response to food concentration, resulted in three types of trajectories for the consortium. The characteristics of these distinct paths were determined using robust statistical methods, indicating that the different displacement behaviors allowed the consortium to adequately explore distributed resources and remain within the food-rich layers provided in the experimental containers. A simple mechanical–stochastic model was successfully applied to simulate the observed displacement patterns, further supporting the proposed mechanisms of collective response to the environment.本研究描述了由附生纤毛虫（epibiotic ciliates，V. oceanica）携带的无运动能力、呈链状生长的缢缩角毛藻（C. coarctatus）的运动模式。针对角毛藻-钟虫共生体系的观测数据表明，该共生联合体具备产生差异化运动模式的能力。本研究证实，附着纤毛虫产生的流场，以及其柄部随食物浓度变化产生的收缩与舒张活动的差异，共同导致该共生联合体形成三种不同的运动轨迹。本研究采用稳健统计方法（robust statistical methods）对这些差异化轨迹的特征进行了分析，结果显示，不同的位移行为可使该共生联合体有效探索分散的食物资源，并维持在实验容器预设的富营养层范围内。本研究通过简易的机械-随机模型（mechanical–stochastic model）成功模拟了观测到的位移模式，进一步验证了该共生联合体对环境产生集体响应的潜在机制。