2.2 Amoeba & Paramecium

• Movement of Amoeba

  • Constantly changes shapes when encounters obstacles.
  • Amoeba moves by extending out its pseudopodium (flow of cytoplasm into extended pseudopodium)
• Movement of Paramecium

  • Rhythmic Cilia beats.
• Responding to Stimuli

  • Amoeba & Paramecium move away from chemicals, bright lights and touch.
• Nutrition

  1. Amoeba extend pseudopodium to trap food particles (phagocytosis)
  2. Paramecium presence of cilium beat help transfer food particles to oral groove.
  3. Food vacuole combined with lysosome. Food particles hydrolyses by lysozyme.
  4. Nutrients absorbed into cytoplasm.
  5. Amoeba discharged undigested food by moving.
  6. Paramecium discharged undigested food through anus.
• Excretion

  • Waste (carbon dioxide, ammonia) removed by diffusion.
  • Water diffuse by osmosis and fill the contractile vacuole (Amoeba and Paramecium live in freshwater environment).
  • Vacuole expanded to maximum size, contraction occurs and water is excreted from time to time. (Osmoregulation).
• Reproduction

  • Amoeba asexual reproduction via binary fission through mitosis. (when condition suitable.)
  • Amoeba forms spores that only germinate. (when condition improves)
  • Paramecium sexual reproduction via conjugation. (when condition not suitable)