The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 01 (of 10) — John Shaqi
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 01 (of 10)Hickson, Sydney J. (Sydney John)
Science
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 01 (of 10)
Hickson, Sydney J. (Sydney John)
Animals
1. A nucleated portion may regenerate _completely_, if of sufficient size.
Consequently, multinucleate forms, such as _Actinosphaerium_ (Heliozoa,
Fig. 19, p. 72), may be cut into a number of fragments, and regenerate
completely. In Ciliata, such as _Stentor_ (Fig. 59, p. 156), each fragment
must possess a portion of the meganucleus, and at least one micronucleus
(p. 145), and, moreover, must possess a certain minimum size. A Radiolarian
"central-capsule" (p. 75) with its endoplasm and nucleus may regenerate its
ectoplasm, but the isolated ectoplasm being non-nucleate is doomed. A
"central capsule" of one species introduced into the ectoplasm of another,
closely allied, did well. All non-nucleate pieces may exhibit
characteristic movements, but appear unable to digest; and they survive
only a short time.[52]
"ANIMALS" AND "PLANTS"
Hitherto we have discussed the cell as if it were everywhere an organism
that takes in food into its substance, the food being invariably "organic"
material, formed by or for other cells; such nutrition is termed
"holozoic." There are, however, limits to the possibilities in this
direction, as there are to the fabled capacities of the Scillonians of
gaining their precarious livelihood by taking in one another's washing. For
part of the food material taken in in this way is applied to the supply of
the energies of the cell, and is consequently split up or oxidised into
simpler, more stable bodies, no longer fitted for food; and of the matter
remaining to be utilised for building up the organism, a certain proportion
is always wasted in by-products. Clearly, then, the supply of food under
such conditions is continually lessening in the universe, and we have to
seek for a manufactory of food-material from inorganic materials: this is
to be found in those cells that are known as "vegetal," in the widest sense
of {36}the word. In this, sense, vegetal nutrition is the utilisation of
nitrogenous substances that are more simple than proteids or peptones,
together with suitable organic carbon compounds, etc., to build up proteids
and protoplasm. The simplest of organisms with a vegetal nutrition are the
Schizomycetes, often spoken of loosely as "bacteria" or "microbes," in
which the differentiation of cytoplasm and nucleus is not clearly
recognisable. Some of these can build up their proteids from the free
uncombined nitrogen of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, and inorganic salts,
such as sulphates and phosphates. But the majority of vegetal feeders
require the nitrogen to be combined at least in the form of a nitrate or an
ammonium salt—nay, for growth in the dark, they require the carbon also to
be present in some organic combination, such as a tartrate, a carbohydrate,
etc. Acetates and oxalates, "aromatic" compounds[53] and nitriles are
rarely capable of being utilised, and indeed are often prejudicial to life.
In many vegetal feeders certain portions of the protoplasm are specialised,
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