Paramecium
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| domain | Eukaryota | Paramecium is a genus of unicellular ciliates, commonly studied as a representative of the ciliate group. Paramecia are widespread and abundant in freshwater and marine environments. Cells are ovoid or cigar-shaped, covered in cilia for locomotion. A deep oral groove runs from the anterior of the cell to its midpoint, lined with cilia to draw in food such as bacteria. Water absorbed by osmosis is expelled by contractile vacuoles. A macronucleus controls cell functions, while a micronucleus contains genetic material that is passed along during conjugation, when paramecia may fuse to exchange genetic material. P. bursaria derive food from endosymbiotic green algae.
For more information see the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Protista |
| kingdom | Protista | |
| supergroup | SAR (Alveolata) | |
| phylum | Ciliophora | |
| class | Oligohymenophordea | |
| order | Peniculida | |
| family | Parameciidae | |
| genus | Paramecium |
