23Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

The Stentor Trumpet Animalcule

Biology
[caption id="attachment_16489" align="alignright" width="440"] Stentor roeseli[/caption] Resembling a trumpet or vase, varieties of stentor make up the largest known single-celled aquatic creature. Their name comes from the epic poem, “The Iliad,” in which Homer characterizes a herald, Stentor, as having a voice “as powerful as fifty voices of other men.” As with vorticella, the eating orifice of the trumpet animalcule is circled about with tiny hair like cilia. These hairs wave in sequence, sweeping food into its oral cavity. See the beautiful video (below), filmed by Dr. Ralf Wagner. It highlights the feeding process. In the vast majority of instances, organisms are made up of one or more cells, each with its own nucleus. The nucleus governs cell function and participates in cellular division or reproduction, providing a complete DNA…
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14Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

The Differences Between Flagella and Cilia

Biology
[caption id="attachment_5797" align="alignright" width="440"] Is there a difference? After all they all look like little hairs to me.[/caption] Transportation by hairs called flagella and cilia? Yes, either works. What are they and how do they function? One-celled animals want to get around, too. One method used by the amoeba seems very innovative. Basically a liquid-filled blob, the amoeba directs some of its protoplasm to form pseudopodia, which is a 50-cent word meaning false feet. Other protozoa possess what is called a flagellum (some use two flagella). These are long hairs, sometimes longer than the body of the animal. It moves through the water using the flagellum like a whip. Yet others use a collection of shorter hairlike organelles called cilia. What is the difference between flagella and cilia? The differences…
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