Question

A student is looking at a protozoan under the microscope. "I know it's supposed to be a ciliate or an amoeba, but how am I supposed to know which it is?" she complains to her lab partner. "Easy," her partner says. "Just _____."

Answer 1

Answer:

observe the movement of the organism.

Explanation:

The movement of the two organisms under the microscope differs.

A ciliate moves by using cilia, tiny structures that beat in unison to propel ciliates in water.

Amoeba moves by using pseudopodia. The movement is crawl-like and it involves the protrusion of the pseudopodia from the cytoplasm.

Hence, observation of the movement of the organism under the microscope will give an indication whether it is a ciliate or an amoeba.