Paramecium+-+CFR

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=Introduction= toc You don’t have to be big in size to make a difference. All living things big and small have a choice to make a difference. A good example of this is a cell called paramecium. Warriors that roam the rivers, ponds, streams, and lakes. They’re job is to stay alive. They are capable of reproducing two different ways. They use cilia to eat. They’re also built to survive. They have needles that can pierce through their enemies. The paramecium even helps purify water but don’t get fooled by how cool and unique they are they are able to cause disease within your body. = = =Function of Paramecium= Have you ever wondered how paramecium reproduce? Paramecium can reproduce two different ways.One way is asexual, which is when one parent has offspring that has the same genetics. The cell duplicates its genetics and splits itself into two separate cells. Each cell has the parent cell’s genetics and a tiny bit of cytoplasm and ribosomes. The second way is sexual reproduction, which is when two parent parent cells combi ne their genetics to produce a new cell. The two cells form a thread like chord to transfer some of their genetics between each other. After the transfer the two paramecium separate. However, no new cell is created but the two cells are now genetically modified. But how do paramecium eat?

Why do paramecium have little hairs around it? Paramecium use cilia (“hairlike projections that move in a wavelike motion”) (Padilla et al pg.77) to move around and to catch it’s food into the oral groove. Paramecium will eat smaller protists or bacteria.

[|Paramecium reproducing both by sexual and asexual reproduction.] = = =Paramecium Structure= What does a paramecium look like? What are the structures of a paramecium that help it survive in the harsh environment? Let's start with the basics. The pellicle is a stiff yet flexible coat giving the paramecium its shape and form. Next the paramecium has two nucleus’s. Although they do two different jobs and are two different sizes. The bigger nucleus is meant to command the organelles to do their job. The smaller nucleus controls reproducing. Another feature to the paramecium is the oral groove which is like the mouth of the paramecium. It is an indentation lined with cilia. (Padilla et al pg.77) The food vacuole forms at the end of the oral groove where food is stored. Once the food is within the food vacuole it pinches of the oral groove and floats away in cytoplasm. Cytoplasm is a gel like substance within the paramecium. The anal pore is where waste is released from the paramecium. There are two contractile vacuoles which contain extra water from the cytoplasm and extract it from the cell. Although the paramecium does have one special defensive feature to it.

The paramecium has one very special unique feature that it can use to defend itself. This feature is called trichocyst. The trichocyst are needles imbedded within the pellicle. ("Life of a Paramecium"). When an enemy threatens the cell it will project these unique weapons at it and try to impale its enemy.

=Keeping Water Clean= Paramecium are very useful to us. Part of the paramecium's diet is bacteria, fungi, particles, and other small protists. All of them live in fresh water like the paramecium but the problem is they pollute it. The solution is paramecium eat these organisms that pollute the water and help purify it. They get rid of all the bad "stuff" in the water so we can use the water for whatever needs necessary. So paramecium are useful to us and affect us in a good way. Although paramecium can also potentially be harmful to us. If paramecium were to enter the body it has the capability to spread disease within the body. (Fullam).

[|Click on this link to read an article on how paramecium clean water.]

=Conclusion= The paramecium are good at survival, they can reproduce both by sexual reproduction and asexually. They eat using cilia to move their food to their mouths. They have two nuclei for two different jobs and use trichocyst to defend themselves against enemies. Paramecium are naturally great at purifying water since they eat the organisms that pollute. However don’t forget that they do have the potential to create disease within the body.

=Reference= Works Cited 101science.com. 101science.com/paramecium.htm. 101science.com. “Paramecium-Mobile Friendly.” 101science.com, 101science.com/paramecium.htm. Bunis, Jillian Bunis. “Life Cycle of Paramecium.” Paramecium, Jillian Bunis, snowbio.wikispaces.com/Paramecium+(protist)?responseToken=e9baa19db4e8821dde0505ea12525bb4. Fullam, Anne C. “East Hampton Enrolls Microbes in Pollution War.” New York Times, PDF ed., pp. 1-2. Grolier. Crocker, Denton W. “Paramecium.” Encyclopedia Americana. Scholastic Grolier Online, ea.grolier.com/article?id=0302480-00. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. Life of a Paramecium. lifeofparamecium.weebly.com/lifestyle--adaptations.html. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. Lipscomb, Diana L. “Paramecium.” World Book Student. World Book, 2017. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. Padilla, Michael J. Prentice Hall Science Explorer. Teacher’s ed., Needham, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Paramecia Peter Matulavich Productions, 2001. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 30/1/2017. http://www.discoveryeducation.com. “Paramecium Bividing.” YouTube, 21 Apr. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnlkvquWXS8. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. “Protozoa.” BrainPOP, 2017, www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/protozoa/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017.

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