Protozoa 'Exploding'

Donw · Post by **Donw** » Fri Aug 05, 2011 3:50 pm

Time laps, 5 Sec between shots, playback 3 fps.

Presumably a Colpoda.

Anyone know why protozoa do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FospOyf9OLo

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Fri Aug 05, 2011 4:31 pm

The best explanation I have read is that the cell wall is the most important "organ" of the animal. Most of the energy the animal produces goes to the organelles that keep the cell wall intact. As the environment goes bad and the animal starts to show duress, all the other organelles will shut down to keep the one going that supports the cell wall. Once that one goes down, the cell wall will rip and it's over.