Short video of a small Amoeba expelling a couple of diatoms

[billporter1456]

I have seen several videos showing an Amoeba ingesting one or more Diatoms. Since the cell wall of a Diatom is silica and not digestible by the Amoeba, at some point the Amoeba must get rid of what's left of the Diatom. Not having seen videos showing this, I thought it might be worthwhile to upload this video which shows the main elements of this process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ASEMBKLUto

[Beatsy]

Nice vid.

Strangely enough I caught this happening too - but completely by accident!

I started taking a time-lapse of a testate amoeba purely because the test was such a weird shape. I didn't notice it spat out a diatom until I saw the finished sequence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlGg2wt-wqI

The diatom contents don't seem completely digested in either case. Do you think they lived on after the experience?

[billporter1456]

Nice vid.

Strangely enough I caught this happening too - but completely by accident!

I started taking a time-lapse of a testate amoeba purely because the test was such a weird shape. I didn't notice it spat out a diatom until I saw the finished sequence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlGg2wt-wqI

The diatom contents don't seem completely digested in either case. Do you think they lived on after the experience?

I just watched your video. Pretty neat! As you say, it spat out a big pennate diatom. As to whether the diatom might still be alive, I don't know, but it seems unlike to me. Surely much of the diatom's cytoplasm has been digested?

[Olympusman]

It's interesting observing protists ingesting diatoms. I have observed ingested diatoms in a water sample rich in Chilodonella, but I am holding out to photograph one with at least three diatoms inside.

[billporter1456]

It's interesting observing protists ingesting diatoms. I have observed ingested diatoms in a water sample rich in Chilodonella, but I am holding out to photograph one with at least three diatoms inside.

Well, this isn't a Chilodonella, it's a small Amoeba, but I think I can count 5 pennate diatoms inside it. Just saw it about an hour ago.

http://billporter.smugmug.com/Microscop ... /i-vZPXCdc