Progress in phototaxis mechanism research and micromanipulation techniques of algae cells

Phototactic movement is a characteristic of some microorganisms' response to light environment. Most of the algae have dramatically phototactic responses, underlying the complicated biological, physical and photochemical mechanisms are involved. With the development of the micro/nano and sensor techniques, great progress has been made in the research of the algae phototaxis. This review article summarizes the progress made in the research on the functional phototactic structures, the mechanisms of photo-response process and photodynamics of phototaxis in algae, and describes the latest developed micro-tracking technique and micromanipulation technique. Moreover, based on our own research results, the potential correlation between the phototaxis and photosynthesis is discussed, and the directions for future research of the phototactic mechanism are proposed.