Vorticella Campanula Protozoan
The Vorticella campanula protozoan is found in freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams with aquatic vegetation. It has a global distribution. Vorticella campanula is solitary and not colonial but usually social, several of them being found together. Vorticella campanula is a sedentary (fixed) form. A long highly contractile stalk is commonly attached to some submerged objects like weeds, animals, or stones. Most Vorticella are found in abundance in stagnant water rich in decaying organic matter and feed largely on bacteria.
Vorticella, genus of the ciliate protozoan order Peritrichida, a bell-shaped or cylindrical organism with a conspicuous ring of cilia (hair like processes) on the oral end and a contractile unbranched stalk on the aboral end; cilia usually are not found between the oral and aboral ends. The stalks have contractile myonemes, allowing them to pull the cell body against substrates. The formation of the stalk happens after the free-swimming stage.
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Copyright: Cheryl Safren
Department of Microbiology
