| dc.description.abstract | Paramecium tetraurelia are single celled protists commonly found in freshwater. Each paramecium cell is covered by 3,000 cilia, organized into about 70 precise longitudinal rows. Rows can be inverted 180 degrees through a surgical technique. Paramecia with normal cortex’s swim in tight, left-handed helical patterns. Cells with inversions appear to swim in a wider helix with a shorter wavelength, giving a “twisty” pattern. Previous studies done on the inverted swimming pattern of paramecia focused on P. tetraurelia Invert E. These studies produced an equation linking the number of inverted rows to the twistiness of the swimming pattern. I examined whether inversions of different sizes and locations on the cell would confirm the trends established by the equation by studying three new inverts. Invert 1 is still being studied. Invert 3’s inversion starts at row 41 and is 5 rows wide, which is significantly different from Invert E’s that starts at row 26 and is between 5-19 rows wide. Invert 2’s inversion starts at row 60 and is 5 rows wide and split by 1 normal row. Analysis of the swimming patterns appeared to show differences between the swimming patterns of Invert 3 and Invert E. Nevertheless, the general trend predicted by the equation holds true: the greater the number of inverted rows the more twisty the swimming pattern. My research also indicated that swimming patterns are significantly affected by variables that are more difficult to control, such as nutrition, the paramecium’s stage in the cell cycle, and size, which increased the variability in my data. Further documentation of the variables of swimming patterns is clearly needed. | |
