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Clockwise from top right: Amoeba proteus, Actinophrys sol, Acanthamoeba sp., Nuclearia thermophila., Euglypha acanthophora, neutrophil ingesting bacteria. An amoeba (/ ə ˈ m iː b ə /; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; pl.: amoebas (less commonly, amebas) or amoebae (amebae) / ə ˈ m iː b i /), [1] often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability ...
Cells are broadly categorized into two types: eukaryotic cells, which possess a nucleus, and prokaryotic cells, which lack a nucleus but have a nucleoid region. Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms such as bacteria , whereas eukaryotes can be either single-celled, such as amoebae , or multicellular , such as some algae , plants , animals ...
However, flagella do occur among the Archamoebae, and many slime moulds produce biflagellate gametes [citation needed]. The flagellum is generally anchored by a cone of microtubules, suggesting a close relationship to the opisthokonts. [citation needed] The mitochondria in amoebozoan cells characteristically have branching tubular cristae.
Prokaryotes lack membrane-bound organelles, such as mitochondria or a nucleus. [6] Instead, most prokaryotes have an irregular region that contains DNA, known as the nucleoid. [7] Most prokaryotes have a single, circular chromosome, which is in contrast to eukaryotes, which typically have linear chromosomes. [8]
The nucleus is separated from the endoplasm by the nuclear envelope. The different makeups/viscosities of the endoplasm and ectoplasm contribute to the amoeba's locomotion through the formation of a pseudopod. However, other types of cells have cytoplasm divided into endo- and ectoplasm.
Food enveloped by the Amoeba is stored in digestive organelles called food vacuoles. Amoeba, like other unicellular eukaryotic organisms, reproduces asexually by mitosis and cytokinesis. Sexual phenomena have not been directly observed in Amoeba, although sexual exchange of genetic material is known to occur in other Amoebozoan groups. [15]
Amoeba proteus is a large species of amoeba closely related to another genus of giant amoebae, Chaos. As such, the species is sometimes given the alternative scientific name Chaos diffluens. [1] [2] Amoeba proteus in locomotion. This protozoan uses extensions called pseudopodia to move and to eat smaller unicellular organisms.
Chaos is a genus of single-celled amoeboid organisms in the family Amoebidae.The largest and most-known species, the so-called "giant amoeba" (Chaos carolinensis), can reach lengths up to 5 mm, although most specimens fall between 1 and 3 mm. [3] [4] [5]