Vorticella Inquiries

These vorticella were collected from a pond in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Questions:
- How does this single-celled ciliate move?
- Can you think of other types of movement that are similar to the ones you see here?
- For what reasons do you think this critter needs to move out and then rapidly pull back in?
- How does this ciliate's movement compare to other single-celled organisms?
- How are the cilia (the tiny hair-like fibers) arranged on the organism?
- Each vorticella is shaped like a sphere on a retractable tube. What is the advantage of such a shape?
- Can you find any cycles in the video? How do these cycles compare to other cycles you know about?
- What else can you find out about this critter?
Meanings:
Vorticella comes from the Greek roots: vor and cell.
vor- means: eat, consume
cell means: to rise or to project.
So, vorticella means a critter that projects itself outward to eat.
More Information:
Go to the ciliates page for more information on these organisms.