Amoeba - Structure & Classification
Amoebas are small, single-celled creatures, which change shape and handle environments. Their internal structure is made up of parts such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. Relating to amoebas would be an integral part of entrance exams like NEET and JEE due to some possible questions that may refer to the brain-eating amoeba, how they gain food, and how they reproduce in the form of binary fission. This topic usually appears in chapters on cell biology or microbiology, particularly within the Kingdom Protista of Biology. Learning about amoebas is important for entrance exams like NEET and JEE, where topics such as the What is an amoeba, brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri), nutrition in amoeba, and binary fission in amoeba are frequently covered. A simple amoeba diagram can help illustrate these concepts.
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- What is Amoeba?
- Structure of Amoeba
- Amoeba Classification
- Reproduction in Amoeba
- How Does Amoeba Obtain Its Food?
- Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Prepare for Amoeba
What is Amoeba?
Scientists often ask, what is amoeba, to highlight its role as a basic form of life that plays a crucial part in various ecosystems. Amoeba is defined as a unicellular organism that can only be seen by a microscope and not by the naked eye. It is usually eukaryotic, meaning that it is a true organism that possesses true organelles and a nuclear envelope. It moves with the help of false feet called pseudopodia, and it is defined as the cytoplasm pushing off the cell membrane. The amoeba's main characteristic is its ability to change shape.
The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is known for its ability to cause a rare and often fatal infection in humans called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Structure of Amoeba
- Movement in the amoeba occurs through false feet called pseudopodia, so it changes its shape.
- The structure of amoebas is differentiated into three parts: cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and nucleus.
- The cytoplasm of the amoeba is differentiated into two layers that are named as outer ectoplasm and inner endoplasm.
- The plasma membrane of an amoeba is usually very thin, and it is a double-layered membrane that is made up of protein and lipid molecules.
- When we talk about other cellular organelles, it contains contractile vacuoles, mitochondria, the Golgi apparatus, and some of the fat globules.
- The contractile vacuole is used to maintain the osmotic equilibrium by separating out most of the water from the cell.
The size of an amoeba
Amoeba usually differs in both size and shape. When the earliest animals were identified, they were approximately 400 to 600 micrometres in size. Many sizes of amoeba are extremely small, 2-3 nanometers in size and as well as exceptionally large such as 20 cm amoeba. The body is generally transparent, and it looks normally like gelatin.
Amoeba Classification
All the discussion of the amoeba and which domain and phylum it belongs to is defined here:
- Domain: Eukaryota (true cells)
- Kingdom: Amoebozoa
- Phylum: Tubulinea
- Order: Tubulinida
- Family: Amoebidae
- Genus: Amoeba
- Species: many different species, such as Proteus and Animacule.
Nowadays, studies have been focusing on classifying the amoeba based on the subunit present in its ribosomal RNA. Sarcodina is the most preferable and most accepted taxonomic group that belongs to the classification of the amoeba cell. It is classified based on its observable characteristics.
Reproduction in Amoeba
Binary fission:
- As one observes the microorganisms, one may wonder what an amoeba is and find out later on that it reproduces asexually through a method called binary fission.
- Binary fission in amoeba is a type of asexual reproduction where a parent cell splits into two identical daughter cells. In binary fission in amoeba, the organism first duplicates its genetic content prior to elongation of the cell and splitting down its middle.
- In amoeba, a binary fission is relatively fast. In ideal conditions, a full cycle usually takes under half an hour.
- It is of great importance to understand the process of binary fission of amoebas for a better appreciation of how such microorganisms multiply and maintain populations under varied types of environments.
- In binary fission in amoeba after karyokinesis has divided the nucleus, cytokinesis separates the cytoplasm into two cells that eventually can develop into an independent living organism.
Spore formation:
When there are unfavourable conditions, the amoeba divides with the help of spore formation. It starts to break its nuclear membrane, and some of the chromatin blocks get released into the cytoplasm. Each chromatin block now gets inside a nuclear membrane and becomes a small daughter nucleus.
How Does Amoeba Obtain Its Food?
- The question of how an amoeba obtains its food is taken care of through a simple explanation: It just forms a food vacuole when it catches the food using its pseudopodia.
- When interpreting how an amoeba acquires its food, such steps as ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion need to take place within the organism.
- The process through which an amoeba gets its food is through the creation of a food vacuole after the cell engulfs the available nutrient that the organism finds in its surroundings.
- To come up with an answer for how an amoeba gets its food, first of all, it should be mentioned that the whole process of that mechanism occurs without specific organs as well but rather takes place due to the highly flexible nature of body structure of an amoeba.
Mode of Nutrition
Generally, there are five stages in the mode of nutrition:
Process | Description |
|---|---|
Ingestion | - To describe the process of nutrition in an amoeba, we begin with ingestion, where, by the method of phagocytosis, the amoeba uses its pseudopodia to surround and engulf food particles. - This is the most common method adopted by the amoeba to incorporate food into its body through the engulfing of material. - This technique is known as ingestion. - The process of engulfing food around itself is done using pseudopodia, and this is termed phagocytosis. |
Digestion | - The next step in the process of nutrition in amoeba entails digestion, which is the process in which food in the food vacuole is broken down by enzymes into simpler molecules that can be absorbed. - In this step, used and insoluble food particles are transformed into smaller particles, and this process is referred to as digestion. - Lysosomes help facilitate the breakdown of food material. |
Absorption | - To explain the concept of nutrition in amoeba, we must clarify that absorption occurs when the digested nutrients diffuse into the cytoplasm of the amoeba. - After digestion, food supplements are absorbed, while undigested particles are left behind. - This process is termed absorption. |
Assimilation | - While explaining nutrition in amoeba, we need to include another process: assimilation, in which absorbed nutrients are used to generate energy and support growth. - This is the process through which the amoeba derives energy from the food it consumes. |
Egestion | - Lastly, to fully elaborate on the nutrition process in an amoeba, we describe egestion as the removal of undigested food by rupturing the cell membrane to expel waste materials produced during digestion. - This is how the amoeba eliminates undigested food. - To answer how an amoeba obtains its food, it is important to note that the entire process occurs without specialized organs but relies on the flexible body structure of the amoeba. - Research scientists often explore how an amoeba obtains its food to illustrate how the organism feeds differently through holozoic nutrition, meaning it swallows solid food. |
How To Be Safe From Brain Eating Amoeba?
- Warm freshwater lakes, for instance, can expose one to amoebas that feed on the brain. Amoebas may gain entry into one's body through the nostrils, and this would mean passage into a serious health condition.
- Public health personnel warn that the amoeba thrives under unkept swimming pools and hot tubs. Then, safety measures at water during the summer months are key.
- It was researching this particular amoeba that opened the window to the survival capabilities of the brain eating amoeba under intense heat, providing a good explanation for the reason it is found frequently in warm waters.
- While the name "brain-eating amoeba" certainly sounds ominous, it is worth noting that infections are incredibly rare and tend to occur under special conditions.
Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Prepare for Amoeba
Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
Understand Key Concepts | Focus on the structure, nutrition, and reproduction of amoebas. |
Practice with Diagrams | Draw and label diagrams of amoebas to reinforce learning. |
Use Mnemonics | Create mnemonics to remember key terms: |
- Pseudopodia: "Pseudopods Push Food" | |
- Nutrition Process: "I Eat Really Good Food" | |
- Binary Fission: "Bacteria Multiply Fast" | |
- Brain-Eating Amoeba: "Naegleria's Nasty Niche" |
Additional Mnemonics for Effective Study
- Essential Amino Acids: "Any Help In Learning These Little Molecules Proves Truly Valuable"
- Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Threonine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Valine.
- Taxonomic Rank: "Do Kindly Put Cover On Fresh Green Spinach"
- Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
- Phases of Mitosis: "I Prefer Milk And Tea"
- Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase.
- Types of WBC (White Blood Cells): "Never Let Momma Eat Beans"
- Neutrophils (60%), Lymphocytes (30%), Monocytes (6%), Eosinophils (3%), Basophils (1%).
Weightage of Amoeba in Different Entrance Exam
The questions are asked on structre of amoeba, Binary Fission, Nutrition in Amoeba, and Brain-Eating Amoeba in different examinations such as, NEET, JEE, AIIMS Exams, UPSC, SSC CGL, NDA, ICAR AIEEA.
What is amoeba is a question that leads to discussions about its classification under the Kingdom Protista and its significance in microbiology.
Also read:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Regeneration is defined as the process by which the organism develops its lost part again. Yes , amoeba has the capacity for regeneration. when amoeba is cut down into two pieces then it regenerates its lost part?
Amoeba is considered to be an immortal cell, despite having a lifespan of only 2 days. The reason behind this is that it produces two daughter cells that are exact replicas of the amoeba.
Amoeba plays a great role in maintaining the environment.
It helps to regulate the amount of algae by feeding on them.
It helps in regulating the amount of bacteria, which causes the disbalance of algae.
It helps to clean the environment and balance the environment.
An amoeba is considered to be a unicellular organism as it is made up of one type of cell.
The cytoplasm of an amoeba is usually differentiated as a thin and stiff plasma membrane, and inside the plasma membrane there is an ectoplasm. The inner one is the granular endoplasm.
Yes, certain types of amoebas can be harmful to humans. The most notorious among them is Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba. This organism can cause a severe and often fatal infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. While infections are rare, they are frequently fatal, with only a few documented survivors. Other pathogenic amoebas, such as Entamoeba histolytica, can cause amoebic dysentery, leading to gastrointestinal issues.
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Correct Answer: Entamoeba
Solution : The correct answer is Entamoeba.
A parasitic intestinal infection known as amoebiasis or amoebic dysentery is brought on by any member of the Entamoeba genus of amoebas. It could show up with no symptoms at all or with dysentery, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain.