Amoeba
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Protista Phylum: Sarcodina Class: Tubulinida Family: Amoebidae Genus: Amoeba Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1822
Species
Amoeba proteus Amoeba dubia

Amoeba (sometimes amœba or ameba, plural amoebae) is a genus of protozoa that moves by means of pseudopods, and is well-known as a representative unicellular organism. Animals Plants fungi, and Protists are eukaryotes (juːˈkærɪɒt or -oʊt Organisms whose cells are organized into complex Protists (ˈproʊtɨst are a diverse group of eukaryotic Microorganisms Historically protists were treated as the kingdom Protista but this Amoeboids are Unicellular lifeforms that mainly consist of Contractile vacuoles, a nucleus, and cytoplasm as their basic structure The Tubulinea are a major class of Amoebozoa, including most of the larger and more familiar amoebae like Amoeba, Arcella, and The Amoebidae are a family of Amoebozoa, including naked amoebae that produce multiple pseudopodia of indeterminate length Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent ( 6 July 1778 - 22 December 1846) was a French naturalist. Amoeba proteus, previously Chaos diffluens, is an Amoeba closely related to the giant amoebae. The Amoeba dubia is the largest species of the kingdom Amoebozoa, more commonly referred to as Amoeba. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Protozoa (in Greek πρῶτον proton "first" and ζῷα zoia "animals" are unicellular Eukaryotes (singular Pseudopods or pseudopodia (from the Greek word ψευδοπόδια, ψευδός "fake false" A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually The word amoeba or ameba is variously used to refer to it and its close relatives, now grouped as the Amoebozoa, or to all protozoa that move using pseudopods, otherwise termed amoeboids. The Amoebozoa are a major group of Amoeboid protozoa including the majority that move by means of internal Cytoplasmic flow Amoeboids are Unicellular lifeforms that mainly consist of Contractile vacuoles, a nucleus, and cytoplasm as their basic structure

Contents 1 History 2 Habitat and uses 3 Anatomy 3.1 Amoebic cysts 3.2 Marine amoeba 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External links

History

The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1755. August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof ( March 30, 1705 in Augustenburg near Arnstadt – March 27, 1759 in Nuremberg) ^[1] Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus who could change his shape. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, Proteus (Πρωτεύς is an early sea-god one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" whose name suggests the The name "amibe" was given to it by Bory de Saint-Vincent[1], from the Greek amoibè, meaning change. Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent ( 6 July 1778 - 22 December 1846) was a French naturalist. ^[2]

Habitat and uses

Amoeba itself is found in decaying vegetation, in fresh and salt water, wet soil, and animals. Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region it refers to the Ground cover provided by plants Freshwater is a word that refers to bodies of water such as Ponds lakes rivers and streams containing low concentrations of dissolved Salts and other Total dissolved Saline water is a general term for Water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved Salts ( NaCl) ^[2] Due to the ease with which they may be obtained and kept alive, they are common objects of study as representative protozoa and to demonstrate cell structure and function.

Anatomy

The cell's organelles and cytoplasm are enclosed by a cell membrane, obtaining its food through phagocytosis. In Cell biology, an organelle (pronunciation /ɔː(rgəˡnɛl/ is a specialized subunit within a cell that has a specific function and is usually separately enclosed The cytoplasm is the contents of a cell that is enclosed within the Plasma membrane. The cell membrane (also called the plasma membrane, plasmalemma, or "phospholipid bilayer" is a Selectively permeable Lipid bilayer Phagocytosis is the cellular process of engulfing solid particles by the Cell membrane to form an internal Phagosome, or "food vacuole Amoebae have a single large tubular pseudopod at the anterior end, and several secondary ones branching to the sides. Pseudopods or pseudopodia (from the Greek word ψευδοπόδια, ψευδός "fake false" In fields of Anatomy, anatomical terms of location are descriptive terms to help identify relative positions or directions within a species The most famous species, Amoeba proteus, is 700-800 μm in length but the species Amoeba dubia is as large as a millimeter, and visible to the naked eye. Amoeba proteus, previously Chaos diffluens, is an Amoeba closely related to the giant amoebae. A micrometre ( American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a Metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a Millimetre The Amoeba dubia is the largest species of the kingdom Amoebozoa, more commonly referred to as Amoeba. Some ameobas have an appendage designed specificly for the phagocytosis of silicone . Its most recognizable features include one or more nuclei and a simple contractile vacuole to maintain osmotic equilibrium. In Cell biology, the nucleus (pl nuclei; from Latin la ''nucleus'' or la ''nuculeus'' "little nut" or kernel is a membrane-enclosed In general vacuole functions include Removing unwanted structural debris Isolating materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell Containing Osmosis is the Diffusion of a solvent (frequently water through a semi-permeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration (high water potential Food enveloped by the amoeba is stored and digested in vacuoles. Amoebae reproduce via binary fission. Binary fission is the form of Asexual reproduction and Cell division used by Prokaryotic organisms (such as Bacteria or Archea) In cases where the amoeba are forcibly divided, the portion that retains the nucleus will survive and form a new cell and cytoplasm, while the other portion dies. Amoebas also have no definite shape. ^[3] Adjusting the tonicity of the cytoplasm can also damage the digestive enzymes used in phagocytosis, allowing the amoeba to ingest food but not extract energy, resulting in death. ^[2]

Amoebic cysts

Main article: Microbial cyst

In environments which are potentially lethal to the cell, an amoeba may become dormant by forming itself into a ball and secreting a protective membrane to become a microbial cyst. A microbial cyst is a resting or Dormant stage of a microorganism usually a Bacterium or a Protist, that helps the organism to tide over unfavorable environmental A microbial cyst is a resting or Dormant stage of a microorganism usually a Bacterium or a Protist, that helps the organism to tide over unfavorable environmental The cell remains in this state until it encounters more favourable conditions. ^[3] While in cyst form the amoeba will not replicate and may die if unable to emerge for a lengthy period of time.

Marine amoeba

Marine amoeba lack contractile vacuoles and their enzymes and organelles are not damaged by the salt water found in seas, oceans, salt swamps, salty rivers and ponds. Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins

In popular culture

• Tom Robbins states in the preface to his 1976 novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues that amoebas are cool because they reproduce by binary fission, so the first amoeba is still alive to this day. Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American Author. This article is about the book For the film see Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film. Cool is an Aesthetic of attitude behavior comportment appearance style and Zeitgeist. Reproduction is the Biological process by which new individual Organisms are produced Binary fission is the form of Asexual reproduction and Cell division used by Prokaryotic organisms (such as Bacteria or Archea) The first sentence of the book is "Amoebae have no fossils. "
• In the 1984 computer game Boulder Dash, Rockford, the main character, interacts frequently with a constantly-growing green amoeba. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Boulder Dash, aka Rockford, originally released in 1984 is a classic series of Computer games for the Apple II, MSX
• The contemporary British Poet, John Hegley, has a poem entitled Amoeba. John Hegley (born 1 October, 1953) is a popular English Performance poet, musician and songwriter whose poems and songs have appeared both
• The Adolescents have a song titled "Amoeba"
• The Powerpuff Girls and Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z have a trio of villains called The Amoeba Boys, who are shown to be lacking in their capacity for true villainous activity (as in one episode, where they steal an orange from a street vendor, and then give it back) compared with world-domination-centered villains such as Mojo Jojo. The Adolescents are a Hardcore punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. The Powerpuff Girls is an Emmy award-winning The show has come under criticism for its rather excessive violence (including images of characters gushing blood is the name for a Japanese television Anime based upon the American animated television series The Powerpuff Girls. This seems to be explained by their lack of brain (being single-celled organisms).
• The 48th produced episode of the classic Star Trek series (The Immunity Syndrome) featured an 11,000-mile (~17 700 km) wide amoeba threatening not only the life of Captain Kirk and his crew, but all life throughout the galaxy. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through " The Immunity Syndrome " is a second season episode of Star Trek The Original Series first broadcast January 19, 1968 and repeated
• In the fourth installment of The Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time), the dungeon boss of the Water Temple is a giant Amoeba that fuses with the water around it. is a Video game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and developed and published by Nintendo. is an action-adventure Video game developed by Nintendo 's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64 Video game
• Jon Scieszka's book, Science Verse, had a poem called Amoeba where are you aneba"
• In the second epidode of Futurama, Bender says to Fry that he hasn't "touched his amoeba" in a sushi like restaurant. Science Verse is a children's Picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. Futurama is an Emmy Award -winning animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and The amoeba is depicted as a large, green, jelly-like blob.

References

External links

• Amoebae: Protists Which Move and Feed Using Pseudopodia, David Patterson (Tree of Life)
• Wikibooks: compare size of cells
• Joseph Leidy's Amoeba Plates

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