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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 7810

John J. Votta, Theodore L. Jahn, Donal L. Griffith, and James R. Fonseca; Nature of the flagellar beat in Trachelomonas volvocina, Rhabdomonas spiralis, Menoidium cultellus, and Chilomonas paramecium. Trans.Amer.Micros.Soc. 90(4):404-412, 1971

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High speed photography and frame by frame analysis have been used to elucidate the nature of the flagellar beat in three monoflagellates and one diflagellate (Chilomonas). The flagellar beat in the four organisms is base to tip. The flagellar beat in Trachelomonas is a continuous helical counter-clockwise beat with the flagellum anterior to the body of the organism for part of its length and wrapped around or trailing alongside the body for the rest of its length. The forward component is obtained by the backward movement of helical waves along the flagellum as it spirals around the body. Rotation is caused by the spiral helical beat both in front of and also alongside the body. The flagella of Menoidium cultellus and Rhabdomonas spiralis are held at right angles to the long axis of the body. The flagellum of Menoidium cultellus contains one or two traveling circular helical waves of small diameter. The flagellum of Rhabdomonas spiralis contains one large, flat, circular ("pinwheel") helical wave. These helical waves, at right angles to the body, produce rotation and gyration of the body, but cannot produce a forward component to cause locomotion directly. Locomotion results from the rotation and gyration of the body, as described by Lowndes. The two flagella of Chilomonas paramecium project from under the body in a latero-posterior direction with a counter-closkwise helical beat during foward motion. The forward component is produced by the sum of the backward thrust of the two flagella. There is bodily rotation (usually left to right) durig very rapid swimming.