Protista

Vorticella //Vorticella// ** //(Vorticella campanula)// **, classified in the Kingdom Eubacteria, are members of the phylum Ciliophora. It is the unique structure of //Vorticella// that distinguishes them from other ciliates.



__**Introduction and Features **__ Vorticella are immobile organisms but young Vorticella are free-swimming.

Vorticella are referred to as Peritrichs, meaning that their cilia are concentrated around the mouth end of the organism, but nowhere else on the body.

 In the event that Vorticella becomes mobile to find more food, temporary cilia will form around the body. However, once the organism has anchored itself, these cilia will disappear.

Vorticella are heterotrophic organisms and feed off bacteria. They do this by using their cilia to create a current of water to direct food towards its mouth. Under normal circumstances, Vorticella reproduce via binary fission. The new organism splits from the parent and swims until it can find something on which to anchor itself. They are also capable of sexual reproduction when conditions are unfavourable.

While considering vorticella size, size of the bell and size of the stalk is to be considered separately. Usually, the 'bell' is up to 150 µm, with stalk up to 1 mm.


 * __Habitat and Reproduction __**

Vorticella, placed among the peritrichs, are found easily in freshwater ponds and streams. Vorticella, a genus of protozoa, usually fix themselves firm to small particles of material however vorticella can also be seen swimming freely. Vorticella are the unicellular aquatic organisms which attach themselves to plant detritus, rocks, algae or animals. They are often seen attached to algae or plants or to the leaves and roots of the aquatic plants or they are found on crustaceans, especially crabs or on shells of gastropod mollusks.

Vorticella reproduce via binary fission. The process of vorticella division is called budding. Vorticella undergo longitudinal fission. As they split along the longitudinal axis into two halves, one daughter holds the stalk and the other half freely swims away. The free daughter becomes a telotroch, which swims until it finds suitable substrate to fix and develop its own stalk. They reproduce by fission, which is also called 'cell division'.


 * __Video __**

media type="youtube" key="91bYj1A4cV0?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

Sources http://www.buzzle.com/articles/vorticella-facts.html http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Vorticella, __Microbe Wiki__, "Vorticella"