Background
Unicellular animals have various shapes, feeding patterns and means of locomotion. This lab is a
an opportunity to observe draw, and gather information about protists.
Materials
Microscope
Slides
Cover slips
Cotton fibers
Methylcellulose
Depression slides
Blunt Probes or toothpicks
Pipettes
Water
Paramecium, Euglena, Stentor
& Volvox specimens
Method
1. Make a wet mount slide of the Paramecium. Use methylcellulose and/or cotton and coverslip.
2. Find the specimen on low power, center it in the middle of the field, and switch to high power.
3. Construct a data table including the following information: name of protist, color, shape,
organelle(s) of locomotion,
4. Record data for protist in data table.
5. Make a ½ page sketch of the specimen under high power. Include an underlined title (printed,
centered, below the sketch.) Include magnification.
6. Using a ruler, label the following organelles:
Paramecium: micronucleus, macronucleus, cilia, oral groove/gullet, contractile vacuole
7. Repeat steps 1 – 6 for Euglena and Stentor, labeling organelles as follows:
Euglena: nucleus, chloroplast, flagellum, contractile vacuole
Stentor: stalk, cilia, nucleus contractile vacuole
8. Repeat steps 1-6 for Volvox, except: use a depression slide and a coverslip.
Volvox : nucleus, colony member, reproductive colony if present
(17) Questions
1. (2) Which of the protists you viewed has an eyespot? What is the function of the eyespot?
2. (2) Which of the protists you viewed has two nuclei? Which nucleus is involved in conjugation?
3. (2) Which of the protists you viewed is colonial? What does colonial mean?
4. (2) Which of the protists have chloroplasts?
5. Which of the protists you viewed is both heterotrophic and autotrophic?
6. Which of the protists you viewed is solely autotrophic?
7. Why did we use methyl cellulose and or cotton?
8. What does Paramecium do when it runs into something?
9. What structure allows Euglena to be an autotroph?
10. How many flagella does Euglena have?
11. What is the function of the contractile vacuole?
12. What is the function of the gullet or oral groove?
13. What structures does Stentor use to move food into its gullet?
Note: Use the lab template to write up this lab. Be sure to follow ALL of the lab guidelines.
Delete from write-up: Hypothesis (Intro & Conclusion), Observations, Graphs, Calculations,
Sources of error.