Download Interesting Facts - Raleigh Charter High School

Divya Rao
Interesting Facts
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If an encounters a negative stimulus, it is capable of rotating up to
360 degrees to find an escape route.
Paramecium can discriminate between different levels of darkness.
The macronuclear DNA has a very high gene density which allows it
to have 800 copies of each gene in the macronucleus.
Paramecium shows galvanotropism which is the movement of
paramecium as they do not turn around to go the other way but the
cilia will bend and face toward the other side and swim backward.
Key Features
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Parameciums are heterotrophs. They commonly prey on bacteria.
They capture their prey through phagocytosis. To catch food they
eject trichocyts which are filled with proteins.
To protect against the Didinium – its vicious enemy – it releases dart
life objects from capsules that are scattered underneath their bodies.
But unfortunately this method is completely ineffective to protect its
self.
It has a mutalistic symbiotic relationship with green algae called
Zoochlorella. The algae live inside the paramecium in its cytoplasm
and provides the Paramecium with food, while the Paramecium
provides algae with movement.
Life Cycle
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Paramecium are capable of both asexual and sexual
reproduction.
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Asexual is the most common. Binary Fission is the form of
asexual reproduction where the paramecium splits itself down the
middle, making two new paramecium.
They perform sexual reproduction only under stressful conditions.
Two paramecium bind forming a cytoplasmic bridge between
them. Then the micronucleus of the paramecium undergoes
meiosis. Four nuclei are formed, three disintegrate and the other
duplicates by mitosis. The daughter nucleus moves across the
bridge and fuses with the other daughter nucleus to for a diploid
nucleus. Then the cells separate. The old macronucleus
disintegrates and a new one is formed from the micronucleus.
Uses
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They are used in genetic engineering because they have
the ability to reproduce quickly sometimes even three or
four times a day.
They help with the carbon cycle. As they eat bacteria
which live on plants and these bacteria decompose the
plant matter. The paramecium help speed up that
process.
Carbon
cycle