The 11 micrographs of the group are views of a serially-sectioned contracted Vorticella convallaria cell that show the main features of this cell. This figure shows 1 food vacuole; micronucleus; contr...

Striated bands in a transverse ridge (in which kinetodesmal fibers are lacking) at high magnification. The longer band has seven stripes rather than five as in the shorter band. This suggests three re...

Ciliates such as Paramecium have specialized sites for endocytosis and exocytosis. Most of their surface is not available for internalization of membrane because of the underlying alveolar sac system....

Receptor mediated endocytosis is a process in which extracellular molecules are taken into the cell via coated vesicles that pinch from the plasma membrane. In Paramecium the resulting vesicles fuse w...

Stacks of 4 or 5 kinetodesmal fibers occupy the longitudinal ridges in a cross-sectioned cell. The kds lie along the right side of each ridge (cell’s left side), and as the kds are tapered, the smal...

This EM features the infraciliary lattice which forms a continuous network at the level of the proximal ends of basal bodies where the kinetodesmal fibers are connected to the posterior basal bodies o...

11 micrographs of views of a serially-sectioned contracted Vorticella convallaria cell that show the main features of this cell. This figure shows 5 food vacuoles and the edges of 2 more. The connecti...

Ciliates such as Paramecium have specialized sites for endocytosis and exocytosis. Most of their surface is not available for internalization of membrane because of the underlying alveolar sac system....

Opercularia coarctata. Transmission electron micrograph of contracted cell body. This ciliate does not have rows of basal body/cilia over its whole surface but has cilia in the oral region and in a tr...

Opercularia is named for a ciliated flap (operculum) that is adoral to the opening to the oral region. However, this operculum is pulled back into the body when the myonemes are fully contracted as in...