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Amoeba. What is an amoeba?. A protozoan A unicellular organism Found in lakes and ponds. Shape-shifter. They can change their shape to resemble a blob, to have feet, to have arms Have free flowing movements. Amoeba’s cell. Cytoplasm held together by a flexible cell membrane
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What is an amoeba? • A protozoan • A unicellular organism • Found in lakes and ponds
Shape-shifter • They can change their shape to resemble a blob, to have feet, to have arms • Have free flowing movements
Amoeba’s cell • Cytoplasm held together by a flexible cell membrane • They contain a nucleus or several nuclei, and cytoplasm • The cell splits by mitosis creating 2 smaller copies of itself
Pseudopodia • False feet – extend part of themselves to flow in the direction they want to go • Can “ooze” and surround their food by making their cytoplasm more liquid and able to flow
Amoeba Anatomy • Cytoplasm can easily change from a liquid into a solid state and back again • When it moves, liquid flows from the center to the front of the cell, then to the sides where it becomes gel like • This motion propels the amoeba
What do amoeba eat? • Algae, bacteria, plant cells, and other unicellular organisms • It engulfs or surrounds it prey making it impossible to escape