Anisonema

bernhardinho · Post by **bernhardinho** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:27 pm

Hi everbody out there,

I think we were talking about Peranema and Anisonema recently, so my finds yesterday came in quite handy:

Peranema

200x Phaco, flash

Anisonema

200x, Phaco, flash

and as an off topic encore (completely free of charge)

Vorticella sniffing in lots of bacteria, 200x, Phaco, flash

Bernhard

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:27 pm

A wonderful job in capturing the flagella on these critters Bernhard and "completely free of charge" is always welcome

Wim van Egmond · Post by **Wim van Egmond** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:58 am

Nice images of these flagellated protists, Bernhard! It is strange how they locomote. The front flagellum acts as a propeller. In Peranema only the first bit of the flagellum moves.

I wonder if this is also so with Anisoma, I am not sure what the second flagellum does. Intriguing stuff, There are many types of flagella. Many have bristles but I don't think they can be seen with the light microscope.

Wim

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:51 am

Very nice images there Bernhard

I have often wondered about that second or trailing flagellum as well, as to its purpose

bernhardinho · Post by **bernhardinho** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:16 am

Thanks, friends,

well as you know in organisms with two flagella, one is the swimming flagellum and the other one the trailing flagellum.

In Anisonema the movement is performed by the swimming one in mode of a flickering movement. The trailing one can be used to fix the organism to the "ground" and it can then fling itself backward.
I could not actually watch this, but the cell was incredibly fast.
I don' think any other function of the trailing flagellum is known

Wim, you're probably referring to the mastigonemes! They can't be seen in the light mic.

Bernhard