Vorticella species
Vorticella sp.
Marl Prarie, Everglades National Park (25.336N, 80.806W)
March 21, 2008
Photograph by Dr. Gordon Atkins
Descriptive Information
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Field Marks: Vorticella is a stalked ciliate with an inverted bell shape body. They have a long stalk like tail that can either be viewed stretched behind them or coiled in a helical structure behind the main body. Vorticella has a mostly clear with a mass of dark nuclear material in the center of the bell configuration. They can be found in colonies or free floating.
Size: Microscopic.
General Habitat: Aquatic Freshwater Habitats.
Range:
Field Observations
We observed Vorticella when we were microscopically analyzing the water from a sinkhole in the marsh. Vorticella was initially difficult to spot because it was caught in glob of green algae. Eventually we noticed the clear cup of the main body with its long tail stretched out behind it. After we spotted it, Vorticella quickly retracted several times and freed himself from the algae. It remained free for several tail retractions until it wandered into the algae and was once again stuck. Then, we lost sight of it.
Vorticella is a sessile organism that is free swimming until "young adolescence" when it attaches to a long filament that is referred to as a spasmoneme. They can, however, be free swimming as adults if the spasmoneme is cut off or if there is a food shortage. The spasmoneme is believed to be a defense mechanism that helps protect against environmental dangers. Vorticella are heterotrophic organisms that prey on bacteria through using a water vortex, created by beating the cilia around its mouth, to direct food towards its mouth.
References
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Vorticella
Additional Photographs/Videos
Vorticella In Action (Video)
Page developed by Andrea Christensen and Gretchen Bell