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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 1217

L.N. Seravin and E.E. Orlovskaja; Feeding behaviour of unicellular animals. I. The main role of chemoreception in the food choice of carnivorous protozoa. Acta Protozoologica 16(3/4):309-332, 1977

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This study deals with selection of food in carnivorous protozoa (Didinium nasutum, Dileptus anser, Lacrymaria olor, Coleptus hirtus), amoebae (Amoeba proteus) and in flagellates (Peranema trichophorum). Chemoreception has been shown to be the main mechanism responsible for food selection. Using chemical food models the present authors have identified a number of chemical inducers of feeding response-capture and ingestion of formerly indifferent items-specific to particular species of protozoa under study. The combinations of such induced vary from species. Physical properties of the prey such as size, surface structure, ability to discharge trichocysts are not essential for identification of prey by the predator. These peculiarities, however, may sometimes be a barrier to realization of the predator's feeding response, interfering with the capture and ingestion of food.