''Paramecium bursaria'' is a species of

ciliate The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagellum, eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a ...

found in marine and brackish waters. It has a mutualistic

endosymbiotic An ''endosymbiont'' or ''endobiont'' is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism most often, though not always, in a mutualistic relationship. (The term endosymbiosis is from the Greek: ἔνδον ''endon'' "within" ...

relationship with green

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

called ''

Zoochlorella ''Zoochlorella'' is a ''nomen rejiciendum'' for a genus of green algae assigned to ''Chlorella''. The term zoochlorella (plural zoochlorellae) is sometimes used to refer to any green algae that lives symbiotically within the body of a freshwater ...

''. The algae live inside the ''

Paramecium '' ''Paramecium'' ( , ; also spelled ''Paramoecium'') is a genus of eukaryotic, unicellular ciliates, commonly studied as a representative of the ciliate group. ''Paramecia'' are widespread in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments and a ...

'' in its

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. The ...

and provide it with food, while the ''Paramecium'' provides the algae with movement and protection. ''P. bursaria'' is 80-150 μm long, with a wide

oral groove The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or or ...

, two

contractile vacuole A contractile vacuole (CV) is a sub-cellular structure (organelle) involved in osmoregulation. It is found predominantly in protists and in unicellular algae. It was previously known as pulsatile or pulsating vacuole. Overview The contractile va ...

s, and a single

micronucleus Micronucleus is the name given to the small nucleus that forms whenever a chromosome or a fragment of a chromosome is not incorporated into one of the daughter nuclei during cell division. It usually is a sign of genotoxic events and chromosomal i ...

as well as a single

macronucleus A macronucleus (formerly also meganucleus) is the larger type of nucleus in ciliates. Macronuclei are polyploid and undergo direct division without mitosis. It controls the non-reproductive cell functions, such as metabolism. During conjugation, t ...

. ''P. bursaria'' is the only species of ''

'' that forms symbiotic relationships with algae, and it is often used in biology classrooms both as an example of a protozoan and also as an example of symbiosis. A transcriptome sequence is determined. File:Paramecium bursaria.jpg, ''Paramecium bursaria'' with green

zoochlorellae ''Zoochlorella'' is a ''nomen rejiciendum'' for a genus of green algae assigned to ''Chlorella''. The term zoochlorella (plural zoochlorellae) is sometimes used to refer to any green algae that lives symbiotically within the body of a freshwater ...

living inside

ally File:20090719_062218_ParameciumBursaria.jpg, A ''Paramecium bursaria'' about 100 µm long

References

External links

Pictures of ''P. bursaria'' as well as a short description
{{Taxonbar, from=Q288725 Oligohymenophorea Species described in 1831 Endosymbiotic events Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg

References

Further reading

External links