CELL ORGANISATION

Amoeba sp.
Habitat

 Many species live in freshwater lakes and ponds and are also abundant in damp soil.
 Most species of Amoeba are free-living while others are parasitic.

General characteristic

 The cytoplasm is enclosed by a plasma membrane.

 Changes its shape constantly as it meets obstacles and responds to stimuli.
 The gel-like outer part of the cytoplasm is called the ectoplasm while the inner part is
called the endoplasm.

1 locomotion

 Amoeba sp. Moves and feeds by using pseudopodia.

 Moves by cytoplasmic projection, that is, by extending its pseudopodia or ‘false feet’
towards the direction it wants to move.
 This is followed by the flow of cytoplasm into the pseudopodia.
 This is form of locomotion is known as ameboid movement.

2 Feeding

 Feeds ob microscopic organisms such as bacteria and diatoms.

 Method of engulfing food is called phagocytosis.
a) Amoeba sp approaches the food particle.
b) Two pseudopodia extend out enclose the food particle.
c) The food particle are packaged in a food vacuole fuses with a lysosome
containing a hydrolytic enzyme called lysozyme.
d) The food particles are digested y the lysozyme. The resulting nutrient diffuse into
the cytoplasm and are assimilated.
e) Undigested material is left behind when the amoeba sp. Moves away.