In: Biology
Choose a Protist species and describe that protist's (1) ideal living environment, (2) feeding habits (3) is it pathogenic/ cause a disease (4) Appearance - does it have flagella, unique structure, etc. and (5) Does it have any symbiotic relationships with any other organisms(parasitic, mutualistic or commensalistic).
My chosen protist is Amoeba proteus
1. Amoeba lives in relatively clean water bodies such as ponds, lakes where oxygen concentration is high. It prefer to live in such a pond where many algae and plants are available.
Feeding habits : Amoeba Proteus feeds on organisms such as rotifers, falgellates and ciliates. It is holozoic and heterotrphic in nutrition mode. It is carnivorous and takes food by phagocytosis.
3. Amoeba proteus is not pathogenic.
4. Appearance: Amoeba proteus has an irregular shape. It can change its shape and it derives its name for this shape changing property. It is microscopic animal and diameter is 300-600 microns. The body remain surrounded by thin delicate plasma membrane. Cytoplasm is divided into ectoplasm and endoplasm. The surface of the body is is produced into a number of finger like projections called pseudopodia which aids in locomotion.
5. Amoeba proteus is a free living protist.