What do euglena and paramecium have in common

But, it swallows green algae. Therefore, Euglena is either heterotrophic or autotrophic whereas Paramecium is autotrophic. Euglena uses flagella for locomotion while Paramecium uses cilia. Both sexual and asexual reproduction occur in Paramecium. But asexual reproduction is the only reproduction method of Euglena. Euglena refers to a green, unicellular, freshwater organism with a flagellum.

It consists of characteristics of both animals and plants. Euglena consists of chloroplasts. If the light is available, it undergoes photosynthesis.

These chloroplasts are scattered throughout the cell. Euglena contains pyrenoids, which are micro-compartments inside the chloroplast, operating carbon-concentrating mechanisms. The food is stored in the form of starch granules in Euglena. The structure of the body of Euglena is shown in figure 1. Figure 1: Euglena Structure. Euglena possesses some animal-like characteristics as well. It has an eyespot for the detection of light.

Euglena does not have a cell wall. Pellicle, which is made up of a protein layer, is arranged around the cell. The pellicle is held by microtubules. The sliding of the strips of the pellicle provides flexibility and contractility to Euglena.

The sliding process is called metaboly. The gullet of the Euglena serves as a reservoir of food. Euglena possesses a flagellum for its locomotion. It also possesses a contractile vacuole called myoneme , which helps in locomotion. That means the eyespot is helpful for Euglena to move towards light. There is no cell wall in Euglena , but the protein-made pellicle gives both the protection and flexibility to move in the water column.

However, it has the incredible ability to survive harsh droughts with the formation of protective wall around the cell in dry periods. Paramecium is a well-known and well-studied protozoan. This unicellular creature has a characteristic body cover with cilia; hence, they are categorized as ciliates. Paramecium is the scientific, generic name, and it is used as the common name, as well. Paramecium is well known for its characteristic shape that resembles the sole of a shoe, which is anteriorly rounded and posteriorly pointed.

The stiff but elastic pellicle membrane maintains this definite shape of paramecium. The main food items of paramecium are bacteria, algae, and yeast cells.

They are very important ecological units, especially their symbiotic relationship with some bacteria. All protists had animal-like characteristics in terms of their movements and feeding patterns.

Of the three, Euglena was the only one that had chloroplasts, an organelle common in plants. Protists seem to share certain characteristics even when they are classified into different groups. Their organelles are a mixture of animal and plant structures, but they all have nuclei, a feature which distinguishes Protists from other unicellular organisms.

This motion was very clear under the light microscope, but interactions of protists with others in the culture jar were better observed using the dissection scope. The Amoeba moves by extending part of its cell. This extruding part is the pseudopod, and allows the Amoeba to drag itself from one place to another see Fig.

Its movement is slow, and changing directions is just a matter of extending a pseudopod in a new direction. Amoebas do not seem to have a particular shape, with the exception of the pseudopodia that consistently protrude from the cell. Paramecia are smaller than Amoebas. They move with the help of microscopic hair-like structures called cilia, which act like oars to push them through the water. They swim by rotating slowly and changing directions often.

If the Paramecium comes upon an obstacle, it stops, swims backwards, and then angles itself forward on a slightly different course. Cilia help the Paramecium move as well as feed. When the Paramecia feed, it does so by drawing its food into a funnel-shaped opening called the oral groove that is lined with cilia see Fig.

The oral groove is like a mouth, taking food in with the help of cilia, which direct and move the food inward. The Euglena moves rapidly, using its flagellum to propel itself through the water rather quickly, shifting directions with whip-like movements. Unlike the Amoeba and the Paramecium , the Euglena has plant-like characteristics. The organelle that gives it this plant-like quality is the chloroplast see Fig.

Since it can undergo photosynthesis, Euglena is able to make its own food just like plants. The three protists examined in this lab are examples of protists that use specialized structures for locomotion. These protists exemplify the animal-like and motile types of protozoans. As compared to other protists, the animal-like features of the protists we observed allow them to be motile.

Their motility comes in handy for moving about their environment and finding food.