Paramecium uses which of the following structures for locomotion

Use the dropper or pipette to place five drops of culture in the well of the slide. If there is still space, continue to add culture until the well is almost full. Inform students that the next step is to add two drops of Protoslo to the culture. Ask students to guess what they think Protoslo will do to the microorganisms.

What does the name indicate? Protoslo is a harmless chemical that will slow down microbes without interfering with their characteristic movements, so that the students will be able to observe them through the microscope. Use a toothpick to gently mix the culture and Protoslo together. When students begin to look through the microscope, they may find that microorganisms are still moving too quickly to make observations. If so, they should add one or two more drops of Protoslo. Carefully, replace the cover slip so that there is almost no air trapped in the slide.

One technique is to place the cover slip on the edge of the well, and gently slide it completely into place over the well. This might take a few attempts. Depending on class size, you may pass around the jars of cultures, or you may set up them up on a table in a separate area.

Have paper towels on hand and keep some culture in reserve in case of spills. Divide students into pairs, with one student preparing the Euglena slide and the other preparing the Paramecium slide. Once the slides are prepared, have students use paper and pencils to create a chart with two columns.

Center the slide so that the culture is under the light path. Using the low power objective 4x , have students take turns looking through the eyepiece. Students may need assistance in focusing the image.

Ask the students to record their observations color, shape, method of locomotion, etc. To observe the microbes in more detail, have students switch to a higher power objective 10x and adjust the sharpness of the image with the fine adjustment knob. Have students record any additional observations that they were not able to see at the lower magnification. Paramecia feed on microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and yeasts.

To gather food, the Paramecium makes movements with cilia to sweep prey organisms, along with some water, through the oral groove vestibulum, or vestibule , and into the cell. The cell is covered by cilia short, hairlike projections of the cell , which allow the cell to move with a synchronous motion like a caterpillar. It is one of the well-studied unicellular organisms, that is found in almost all types of aquatic environment. One can say that amoebas are omnipresent because they thrive in soil, water and in body parts of animals.

By constantly changing its shape, the amoeba creates body extensions known as pseudopods — which assist in locomotion. Habit and Habitat Paramecium has a worldwide distribution and is a free-living organism. It usually lives in the stagnant water of pools, lakes, ditches, ponds, freshwater and slow flowing water that is rich in decaying organic matter. Paramecium is one of the best-known protists, often taught in school biology courses.

Skip to main content. Module 5: Protists. Search for:. Cell Structure and Motility Learning Outcomes Describe the cell structure of protists Describe the motility of protists. Protists that have a pellicle are surrounded by proteins. Show Answer Answer b. A cilium would likely be the shortest locomotor organs. The defining features of eukaryotic cells are the presence of specialized membrane-bound cellular machinery called organelles and the nucleus, which is a compartment that holds DNA. Paramecia have many organelles characteristic of all eukaryotes, such as the energy-generating mitochondria.

However, the organism also contains some unique organelles. Under an external covering called the pellicle is a layer of somewhat firm cytoplasm called the ectoplasm.

This region consists of spindle-shaped organelles known as trichocysts. When they discharge their contents, they become long, thin and spiky, according to "Biology of Paramecium. This has been tested over the years and has held true for certain Paramecium species against particular predators. For example, a article published in the journal Zoological Science found that trichocysts of Paramecium tetraurelia were effective against two of the three predators that were tested: the Cephalodella species of rotifers and the Eucypris species of arthropods.

Below the ectoplasm lies a more fluid type of cytoplasm: the endoplasm. This region contains the majority of cell components and organelles, including vacuoles. These are membrane-enclosed pockets within a cell. According to a paper published in the journal Bioarchitecture, the name "vacuole" describes the fact that they appear transparent, and empty. In actuality, these organelles tend to be filled with fluid and other materials.

Vacuoles take on specific functions with a paramecium cell. Food vacuoles encapsulate food consumed by the paramecium. They then fuse with organelles called lysosomes , whose enzymes break apart food molecules and conduct a form of digestion. Contractile vacuoles are responsible for osmoregulation, or the discharge of excess water from the cell, according to the authors of " Advanced Biology, 1st Ed. Depending on the species, water is fed into the contractile vacuoles via canals, or by smaller water-carrying vacuoles.

When the contractile vacuole collapses, this excess water leaves the paramecium body through a pore in the pellicle "Biology of Paramecium".