What Does an Amoeba Cell Do?
Amoebas refer to any of a variety of one-celled parasitic or aquatic organisms of the genus Amoeba. Amoeba cells perform such functions as food digestion and reproduction.
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Phagocytosis
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Amoeba cells contain cytoplasm, a thick liquid contained between the cell membrane. The cell membrane obtains food in a process called phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is a cellular-based process that entails the absorption of solid particles by the cell membrane. This enables the membrane to form phagosome, or the formation of a vacuole around a particle. The vacuole is created by the cell membrane's fusion around the particle.
Movement
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Amoeba cells contain pseudopods, or projections of membrane-bound cells. The pseudopodia extend and contract via an assembly of filaments near the end of the cell. These contractions and extensions enable the amoeba cell to move.
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Reproduction
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Amoeba cells reproduce asexually through cytokinesis and mitosis. Mitosis refers to the process that enables a cell to separate the chromosomes contained in its cell nucleus into two identical sets of chromosomes contained in two nuclei. Mitosis in amoeba cells is followed by cytokinesis, a process that divides a single cell's nuclei, membrane and cytoplasm into two cells containing approximately equal shares of these characteristics.
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References
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- Photo Credit amoeba and plankton through microscope image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
