Euplotes Division - A Story from Subotica WWTP

[7Laran]

This works for the science content and the imagination you used putting it together -

wonderful job - ( did you photograph through the microscope - or was it projected and saved for editing ) just beautiful.

[zednanreh90]

Beautiful!

I saw this once in a lab session.

[SucculentJuniper]

Such a beautiful dance.

[RyanatorML2000]

How do you tell conjugation apart from binary fission? I have a video on euplotes reproducing but have it labeled as conjugation. Now that I see your video, it seems that my euplotes are dividing but I am not sure.

[ripariaorg]

Thanks for the question, I've never thought about that before. In the early stages of the process it was obvious the protoplasm was unique and merged, and that it was more than copulation bridge. I am not sure for your video, but it resembles final stages of fission. An electronic micrograph of Euplotes conjugation (try google images) shows completely different "mating hug". Anyway, I wouldn't say conjugation is reproducing process, it is only a way of genetic material exchange.

[TheAniaHS]

Euplotes like other ciliata makes two different thing: one is multiplication, which is "asexual", and mans only origin of two identicate specimen, and second - sexual process, which means change of DNA, but without multiplication. So conjugation is sexual process but not reproduction, and division is reproduction but not sexual process.

[TheAniaHS]

Indeed the process on your video is division, not conjugation. You can see conjugation here v=5c_Vhb0vBVw - sorry- it is paramecium, but close enough I guess. As I remember conjugation may occure when food is almost finished, so try to starve them a little bit, maybe then conjugation occures. But I'm not sure if I remember correct.

[metalmistresz]

pede na :)