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    Locomotion in Protista

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    Lamngan Kei

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Locomotion in Protista

    Uploaded by

    Lamngan Kei
    6 views3 pages

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    6 views3 pages

    Locomotion in Protista

    Uploaded by

    Lamngan Kei

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Locomotion in Protists :

    Locomotion is the movement of an organism or its part from one place to another.
    Motile protists move from one place to another place with the help of pseudopodia , flagella
    or cilia. Sometimes a few of them move by wriggling and mucilage propulsion
    mechanism.

    1. Locomotion by pseudopodia :

    Some protists like Amoeba slowly creep over the substratum with the help of blunt finger-
    shaped protoplasmic extensions called Pseudopodia or false feet. They give irregular
    shape to the organism. The rate of movement is about 0.2 – 3 µm per second. This type of
    locomotion occurs in several protozoans i.e. Amoeba , slime moulds etc.

    Pseudopodia are of 4(four) types --

    (a) Lobopodia : They are lobe – like with broad and blunt ends. They are made of
    ectoplasm with core fluid endoplasm. Example – Amoeba

    (b) Reticulopodia (Rhizopodia): They are thin, long, filamentous structures of endoplasm
    which branched extensively and fuse together to form network which act as a trap for food
    capturing. Example – Elphidium

    (c) Filopodia : They are fine , thread - like often with rounded ends. They have pointed tips
    and a tendency to branch and radiate in all directions. Example – Radiolaria

    (d) Axopodia : These are long, slender and stiff extensions of ectoplasm which radiate
    from circular body to all directions. Axopodia contain central axial filament composed of
    parallel microtubules rolled into a spiral when observed in the electron microscope . Example
    -- Actinophrys
    2. Locomotion by Flagella :

    Flagella are motile , hair-like appendages which project from the free surface of cells. The
    external long and whip-like part of the flagellum is called shaft. It varies in length from 2 µ to
    3 mm. The diameter remains uniform , about 0.2 µ. Internal structure of flagellum consists
    of 9 + 2 fibrillar arrangement. Most flagella exhibit undulating movement which propel the

    organism in the direction opposite to that of the beat. Some protists have only one flagellum
    ( e.g. Euglena ) while others have more than one (upto four). Locomotion by flagella occurs
    in Dinoflagellates ( e.g. Gymnodinium ) , Euglenoids ( e.g. Euglena) and Zoo-flagellates
    (e.g. Leishmania).

    3. Locomotion by Cilia :

    Cilia are short ,fine, hair – like structures present all over the body surface in large numbers.
    As compared to flagella , they are much smaller but produced in large numbers. They
    performed oar-like movement in a co-ordinate manner like a group of persons rowing a boat
    and produce a progressive wave by beating in succession. The cilia bearing protists are
    called Ciliates. They are the fastest among all predatory protists and move at the rate of
    about 2 mm per second. Example – Paramecium.

    4. Wriggling Locomotion :

    It is a kind of slow worm-like movement of non-flagellated protists performed with the help
    of wave of contraction and expansion of body. Example -- Sporozoans.

    5. Locomotion by mucilage propulsion :

    Some protists like diatoms exhibit creeping or rolling type of movement by secreting soft
    mucilage in the direction opposite to the direction of movement.

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