=Source of the Amœba’s Energy.=—We thus see that the amœba moves without
feet, eats without a mouth, digests without a stomach, feels without
nerves, and, it should also be stated, breathes without lungs, for
_oxygen is absorbed_ from the water _by its whole surface_. Its
_movements require energy_; this, as in all animals, is furnished by the
_uniting of oxygen with the food_. Carbon dioxide and other waste
products are formed by the union; these pass off at the surface of the
amœba and taint the water with impurities.
=Questions.=—Why will the amœba die in a very small quantity of water,
even though the water contains enough food? Why will it die still
quicker if air is excluded from contact with the drop of water?
The amœba never dies of old age. Can it be said to be immortal?
According to the definition of a cell (_Chapter I_), is the amœba a
unicellular or multicellular animal?
=Cysts.=—If the water inhabited by a protozoan dries up, it encysts,
that is, it forms a tough skin called a cyst. Upon return of better
conditions it breaks the cyst and comes out. Encysted protozoans may be
blown through the air: this explains their appearance in vessels of
water containing suitable food but previously free from protozoans.
THE SLIPPER ANIMALCULE OR PARAMECIUM
SUGGESTIONS.—Stagnant water often contains the paramecium as well as
the amœba; or they may be found in a dish of water containing hay or
finely cut clover, after the dish has been allowed to stand in the sun
for several days. A white film forming on the surface is a sign of
their presence. They may even be seen with the unaided eye as tiny
white particles by looking through the side of the dish or jar. Use at
first a ⅓ or ¼ in. objective. Restrict their movements by placing
cotton fibres beneath the cover glass; then examine with ⅕ or ⅙
objective. Otherwise, study figures.
=Shape and Structure.=—The paramecium’s whole body, like the amœba’s, is
only one cell. It resembles a slipper in _shape_, but the pointed end is
the hind end, the _front end_ being rounded (Fig. 14). The paramecium is
propelled by the rapid beating of numerous fine, threadlike appendages
on its surface, called _cilia_ (Latin, eyelashes) (Figs.). The cilia,
like the pseudopods of the amœba, are merely prolongations of the cell
protoplasm, but they are permanent. The separation between the outer
_ectoplasm_ and the interior granular _endoplasm_ is more marked than in
the amœba (Fig. 14).
[Illustration:
FIG. 14.—PARAMECIUM, showing cilia, _c_.
Two contractile vacuoles, _cv_; the macronucleus, _mg_; two
micronuclei, _mi_; the gullet (_Œ_), a food ball forming and ten
food balls in their course from gullet to vent, _a_.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 15.
]
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