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A unicellular organism, also known as a single-celled organism, is an organism that consists of a single cell, unlike a multicellular organism that consists of multiple cells. Organisms fall into two general categories: prokaryotic organisms and eukaryotic organisms. Most prokaryotes are unicellular and are classified into bacteria and archaea.
Clockwise from top right: Amoeba proteus, Actinophrys sol, Acanthamoeba sp., Nuclearia thermophila., Euglypha acanthophora, neutrophil ingesting bacteria. An amoeba (/ ə ˈ m iː b ə /; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; pl.: amoebas (less commonly, amebas) or amoebae (amebae) / ə ˈ m iː b i /), [1] often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability ...
The three most diverse ochrophyte classes are: the diatoms, unicellular or colonial organisms encased in silica cell walls that exhibit widely different shapes and ornamentations, responsible for a big portion of the oxygen produced worldwide, and comprising much of the marine phytoplankton; [17] [57] the brown algae, filamentous or 'truly ...
Valonia ventricosa is among the largest known single-celled organisms. Its thallus consists of a thin-walled, tough, multinucleate cell with a diameter that ranges typically from 1 to 4 centimetres (0.4 to 1.6 in), although it may achieve a diameter of up to 5.1 centimetres (2.0 in) in rarer cases.
The organism may benefit at times by deriving some of its nutrients from the algal endosymbionts or by surviving anoxic conditions because of the oxygen produced by algal photosynthesis. Some protozoans practice kleptoplasty , stealing chloroplasts from prey organisms and maintaining them within their own cell bodies as they continue to produce ...
Paramecium (/ ˌ p ær ə ˈ m iː s (i) ə m / PARR-ə-MEE-s(ee-)əm, /-s i ə m /-see-əm, plural "paramecia" only when used as a vernacular name) [2] is a genus of eukaryotic, unicellular ciliates, widespread in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments.
Stentor, sometimes called trumpet animalcules, are a genus of filter-feeding, heterotrophic ciliates, representative of the heterotrichs.They are usually horn-shaped, and reach lengths of two millimeters; as such, they are among the largest known extant unicellular organisms.
Unicellular organisms can move in order to find food or escape predators. Common mechanisms of motion include flagella and cilia. In multicellular organisms, cells can move during processes such as wound healing, the immune response and cancer metastasis. For example, in wound healing in animals, white blood cells move to the wound site to kill ...