DIGESTION IN AMOEBA

 

INGESTION IN AMOEBA

Amoeba takes solid food particles with the help of its pseudodia. Amoeba feeds on microscopic organisms such as algae, bacteria or other protozoa (e.g., paramecium). When food particles come in contact with the outer membrane, it flows around it forming a cup shaped pseudopodial projection called food cup. The food cup completely encloses or ingests the food together with a droplet of water. Thus a food cup vacuole is formed in the endoplasm. An Amoeba may contain as many as 50 food vacuoles at once, each with food on-different stages of digestion. 

 

DIGESTION IN AMOEBA

Digestion takes place in the food vacuole. Hydrolytic enzymes are secreted into the food vacuoles by lysosomes, which cause intacellular digestion. Fluids inside the food vacuole are acidic. Acidic medium is important because it kills live food and softens up the food vacuole turns alkaline. The digested materials are absorbed into the surrounding cytoplasm and subsequently used in various metabolic reations of the cell.

 

During digestion food vacuole move from place to place in the cytoplasm and molecules enter or leave it by diffusion and active transport.

 

 

EGESTION IN AMOEBA

Indigestible material stay in the vacuole which comes close to the cell membrane. The cell membrane breaks so that the indigestible materials are ejected in to the surrounding water.