SBI 3C0
Name: __________________________
Examining Protists Lab
Purpose:
to familiarize yourself with the appearance of some common protists
Materials:
prepared slides of Paramecium, Euglena, Spirogyra, Amoeba, and Volvox,
Compound light microscope
Procedure:
Part 1: Examining Protists
1. Place the prepared slide of Paramecium on the microscope stage.
2. Use the low power lens to locate an organism on the slide. Move up to medium and high power
lens to observe the structure of the organism.
3. Record your observations in the table in the Observations. This may require calculating the size
of the field of view (as learned previously)
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each prepared slide.
Observations
Organism
Paramecium
Euglena
Spirogyra
Amoeba
Volvox
Approximate
size (mm)
Diagram (Sketch in pencil)
Description
SBI 3C0
Name: __________________________
Analysis:
1. Compare and Contrast the organisms you observed. What characteristics do they share? What
are the differences?
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2. Which ones are plant-like? Animal-like? Fungi-Like?
Animal-Like
Plant-like
Fungi-like
3. Spirogyra is similar to plants because the cells contain chloroplasts and have cell walls. Why
aren’t they classified as part of the plant kingdom?
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4. Euglena does not have cell walls. Why is it considered to be a plant like protist?
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SBI 3C0
Name: __________________________
Part 2: Observing the Movement of Paramecium
The paramecium swims freely with a sprilling motion. Cilia beat at an angle in coordinated waves,
and the organism rotates on the longitudinal axis. Cilia are denser in the oral groove area, and they
beat more quickly, causing the front end of the organism to move in a circle.
Procedure:
1. Watch the video of the movement of paramecium. Record your observations in the chart.
Observations:
Feature
Anterior/prosterior end
General movement pattern
Reaction to obstacles
Leading end during
locomotion
Cilia length and movement
Yeast cells in gullet
Food vacuoles: number and
location
Trichocysts
Contractile vacuoles
Other interesting features
Description and/or Sketch
SBI 3C0
Name: __________________________
Synthesis:
1. From your examination summarize how a paramecium ingests and digests food and eliminates
waste.
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2. From your examination, what might be the function of trichocysts?
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3. What might happen to the contractile vacuoles in a paramecium if the organism were
transferred from the culture medium into sea water? Hint use your knowledge of osmosis to
explain.
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