Paramecium use two types of locomotion - ciliary movement and metabolic locomotion. Ciliary movement involves the synchronized and metachronous beating of cilia to propel the organism in a spiral path. Metabolic locomotion involves changes in body shape through protoplasmic movement. Paramecium feed by sweeping bacteria and algae into the oral groove using cilia, which then pass through the cytostome and into food vacuoles for digestion. Undigested particles are egested through the cytopyge. Paramecium regulate water content through two contractile vacuoles that collect and expel excess water taken in by osmosis.

1. Shri Shankaracharya Mahavidyalaya, Junwani , Bhilai
Paramecium -Locomotion
Dr. Sonia Bajaj
(Head of Department)

2. Locomotion in paramecium
Paramecium unicellular microscopic organisms. the Paramecium perform locomotion by cilia. Stream line
body also help to swim in water. they are to there are two types of locomotion occurs in paramecium.
1. Ciliary movement or locomotion -it is commonly called ciliary movements and line in the Protoplasm. in ciliary
locomotion result in push forward of animal in spiral track. there are two type occurs during the oscillation of
cilia .
A. Effective stroke- The moment of cilia is called effective stroke. Cilia of the entire body is become rigid and
beating oblique backwards the work of cilia of body makes the organism to rotate left side on its long axis.
The organism to push forward in a opposite clock wise spiral track .
B. Recovery stroke- During the moment of cilia become flexible and to go back slowly move to the original
vertical state, this is called recovery stroke. The cilia of transverse row of the body beat simultaneously the
movement of cilia is called synchronous movement. The longitudinal row of cilia of the body move one by
one that is know as metachronous movement.

3. 2. By metabolic locomotion -The metabolic movement through about in
Paramecium by protoplasmic movement the organism processes flexible body
due to casual change of body shape is called metaboly.

4. Nutrition in Paramecium
Paramecium is heterotrophic and nutrition may be Holozoic type.
it is also feed on unicellular organism like algae diatoms etc.
A. Food and feeding mechanism -The food mainly comprises chiefly
bacteria, algae ,yeast. The beating of cilia of the oral groove causes a
cone shaped vortex of food laden water to be swept into oral groove,
the food particles go to the vestibule and pass into the cytochrome at
the end of cytopharynx a food vacuole is formed the food vacuoles
contain food particles.
B. Digestion and assimilation- The Rotary movement of endoplasm
called cyclosis carry, the food vacuole along a definite course which is
equivalent to a digestive Canal during cyclosis digestion occurs by
enzymes secreted by cytoplasm. chiefly digestion occurs during the
alkaline medium.

5. C. Egestion-
The undigested food particle is egested through
the cytopyge with some streaming movement
of Endoplasm.

6. Osmoregulation in Paramecium
Paramecium has two contractile vacuoles, one anterior and one
posterior. The function of the contractile vacuoles is
osmoregulation, i.e., to regulate the water contents of the body and
may serve also in excretion of nitrogenous wastes such as urea and
ammonia.
Excess of water (because of continuous endosmosis) within
cytoplasm is secreted into the tubules of endoplasmic reticulum
and goes to nephridial tubules → feeder canals → and collect into
ampulla of a series of 6 to 11 radiating canals that converge toward
and discharge into each vacuole. The canals are most conspicuous
as a vacuole is forming.
When each vacuole is swelled (diastole) to a certain size, it
contracts (systole) and discharges to the exterior probably through
a pore. The contractile vacuoles contract alternately, at intervals of
10 – 20 seconds.
The posterior contractile vacuole works faster than anterior vacuole
because of intake of large amount of water into the posterior region
by the cytopharynx. The contractile vacuoles maintain an optimum
concentration of water in the body cytoplasm by disposing of the
excess.