Question

compare and contrast pseudopod, flagella and cillia ?

Answer 1

Pseudopodia are transient or temporary arm like projections on the cell membrane of the eukaryotic amoeba. They are also found in the cells of multicellular organisms. These proejctions are cytoplasmic in nature. They aid amoeboid movement, and can also help take up food or other particulate matter. Depending on the structure and function of the psuedopodia in question, they can be classified into 4 types.

Flagella can be defined as a filamentous protein structure that is attached to the surface of the cell, and aids in the movement of motile prokaryotes. It has a whip like structure, and they are primarily used to be mobile. It consists of a basal body, a hook like structure, and a protein filament. They are not temporary, and they are a prerequisite to bacterial motility. they can be found at the ends of the cell in question(polar) or all over the cell body(peritrichous).

Cilia are slender microtubule based organelles that exist on the surface of many mammalian cells.A single cilium can be up to 10 micrometers in length, and 1 micrometer in width. They are permanent in nature. They can be sensory or motile, depending on their function. Structurally, they have a microtubule backbone called the ciliary axoneme, and this is surrounded by a plasma membrane. The epithelial cells in the lungs have cilia which help get rid of mucous.

The key differences would be the permanence of the various structures. Pseudopodia are temporary, while the other two structures are permanent. Psuedopodia are generally associated with Amoeba. Animal sperm cells tend to have flagella. Many cells in our body have cilia. Generally speaking, cilia tend to be shorter than flagella, and exist in far higher numbers per cell or organism, whereas the flagella is larger, and exists in far fewer numbers.

If you found my answer helpful, please give it a thumbs up!