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Some euglenids, a family of aquatic unicellular organisms, can develop highlyconcerted, large-amplitude peristaltic body deformations. This remarkablebehaviour has been known for centuries. Yet, its function remainscontroversial, and is even viewed as a functionless ancestral vestige. Here, byexamining swimming Euglena gracilis in environments of controlled crowding andgeometry, we show that this behaviour is triggered by confinement. Under theseconditions, it allows cells to switch from unviable flagellar swimming to a newand highly robust mode of fast crawling, which can deal with extreme geometricconfinement and turn both frictional and hydraulic resistance into propulsiveforces. To understand how a single cell can control such an adaptable androbust mode of locomotion, we developed a computational model of the motileapparatus of Euglena cells consisting of an active striated cell envelope. Ourmodelling shows that gait adaptability does not require specificmechanosensitive feedback but instead can be explained by the mechanicalself-regulation of an elastic and extended motor system. Our study thusidentifies a locomotory function and the operating principles of the adaptableperistaltic body deformation of Euglena cells.

Swimming Euglena respond to confinement with a behavioural change enabling effective crawling