Characteristics of paramecium and amoeba
Answers
Explanation:
Paramecium is a unicellular organism with a shape resembling the sole of a shoe. It ranges from 50 to 300um in size which varies from species to species. It is mostly found in a freshwater environment.
It is a single-celled eukaryote belonging to kingdom Protista and is a well-known genus of ciliate protozoa.
As well, it belongs to the phylum Ciliophora. Its whole body is covered with small hair-like filaments called the cilia which helps in locomotion. There is also a deep oral groove containing not so clear oral cilia. The main function of this cilia is to help both in locomotion as well as dragging the food to its oral cavity.
Classification of Paramecium
Paramecium can be classified into the following phylum and sub-phylum based on their certain characteristics.
Phylum Protozoa
Sub-Phylum Ciliophora
Class Ciliates
Order Hymenostomatida
Genus Paramecium
Species Caudatum
Being a well-known ciliate protozoan, paramecium exhibits a high-level cellular differentiation containing several complex organelles performing a specific function to make its survival possible.
Structure and Function
1. Shape and Size
P. cadatum is a microscopic, unicellular protozoan. Its size ranges from 170 to 290um or up to 300 to 350um. Surprisingly, paramecium is visible to the naked eye and has an elongated slipper like shape, that’s the reason it’s also referred to as a slipper animalcule.
The posterior end of the body is pointed, thick and cone-like while the anterior part is broad and blunt. The widest part of the body is below the middle. The body of a paramecium is asymmetrical. It has a well-defined ventral or oral surface and has a convex aboral or dorsal body surface.