A first book in organic evolutionShute, D. Kerfoot (Daniel Kerfoot)
Science
A first book in organic evolution
Shute, D. Kerfoot (Daniel Kerfoot)
Evolution
=Rotalia or Globigerina.= The shelled amœba (_Lagena_) gives off a bud
(unseparated cell) which grows to the full size, secretes its calcareous
shell and remains connected with the parent form. This process may be
repeated a number of times until a colony of shelled amœbæ, of varying
pattern in different species, may be formed and permanently associated
together (Fig. 4). The individual amœbæ are all alike and perform the
same functions. There is no division of labor, no specialization, among
them. If the individual animals could be separated from one another they
would live and build new colonies.
=Pandorina morum= forms a small colony of sixteen cells (solid sphere) of
mulberry-like shape and enclosed in a common gelatinous envelope. Each
cell in the mulberry mass bears two flagella on its peripheral end. These
project out beyond the surface of the gelatinous envelope, and are agents
for locomotion of the colony. The cells in the colony are all alike.
There is no division of labor among them. They all act alike. The cells
(flagellate protozoans) of the colony may reproduce in two ways. Each
animal in the colony may subdivide into sixteen smaller units, each of
which by growth and multiplication may form a new mulberry mass, a new
colony, each unit of which acquires two flagella. Or two of the small
units may amalgamate (conjugate), and then develop (by fission) into a
new colony. The conjugating units are nearly of the same size and look
very much alike.
=Volvox globator= is a spheroidal shaped colony (hollow sphere) of
unicellular flagellate animals, about one-half a millimeter in size.
It was formerly supposed to be a fresh-water _Alga_. It is now known
to be a colony of _Protozoans_. All the animals in this colony are not
alike. There is a division of labor among the cells, for some are merely
vegetative, serving purposes of nutrition, and having no reproductive
powers; while other members of the colony are purely reproductive
animals. Furthermore, there is quite a marked specialization of the
reproductive cells. Those reproductive cells that may be spoken of as
the female cells are large and non-motile encysted cells. The male cells
are small and actively motile, in that they have two flagella developed
on them. A small flagellate male cell penetrates the large encysted
female cell, and as the result of this conjugation, fission takes place
repeatedly, and a new colony of flagellate protozoans (volvox) is formed.
Volvox approaches very suggestively towards the type of animals known as
Metazoan.
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