Question

What are the steps involved in the nutrition of amoeba? Explain them.

Answer 1

Nutrition of Amoeba:

1. Phagocytosis is the process of obtaining food from amoeba.
2. It is the process by which a cell engulfs and digests a particle.
3. Holozoic is the mode of nutrition found in amoeba, that is, digestion of food is permitted only post the ingestion of food.

The following are the steps taking place in the nutrition of amoeba:

1. Ingestion: It is the process of taking in the particle of food either by absorption or swallowing. In amoeba, pseudopodia encircle the food and engulf it resulting in the formation of a food vacuole.
2. Digestion: It is the process of dissociating the large and insoluble food components into minute and soluble molecules. The food vacuoles in amoeba are mediated deeper into the cell and with the assistance of digestive enzymes, the food particles are dissociated into basic components.
3. Absorption: In the process, the nutrients from the digested food component are captivated into the cytoplasm of the cell by leaving behind the components, which are not digested. The phenomenon is termed diffusion.
4. Assimilation: It is the process of attaining energy from the captivated molecules of food. The absorbed molecules of food in amoeba are used for the generation of energy needed to carry the life processes.
5. Egestion: It is the process of removing the unwanted particles of food. The process is mediated by breaking the membrane of the cell in amoeba to discard the unwanted particles of food.