How does the vorticella reproduce?

Question

and any other info such as respiration, waste, sensitivity, energy, etc

Answer 1

It is not only their 'planetary movements' that make Volvox a sure candidate for one of the seven wonders of the micro world. It is also their interesting methods of reproduction that are really spectacular. They have asexual as well as sexual reproduction.

One of the first things that you notice on Volvox is that most colonies have spheres inside. These are 'daughter' colonies, called gonads. It is a means of asexual reproduction. The gonads grow from cells around the equator of the colony. These cells enlarge and undergo a series of cell divisions until they form a small sphere. There is only one complication, the flagella will be on the inside of the new sphere. It has to turn itself inside out so the flagella will be situated towards the outside of the colony!

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/inde...

Answer 2

The scientific name of the vorticella is vorticellids. They are a group of single celled organisms called cilliates. Cilliates are quite unusual as they have two nuclei as opposed to the more usual one. The smaller of the two is called a micronucleus and the larger is a macronucleus. It is the macro that contains the cells genes. Reproduction takes place by a process called binary fission when the cell will divide into 2 daughter cells. As the rest of the cell is dividing the macronucleus will lengthen and each of the daughter cells will end up with approx half of their genetic material. No offsring are produced as cilliate reproduction is an asexual process and there is no combining of genetic material. The single cell  produces the 2 daughter cells by dividing itself. One daughter will keep the stalk produced while the other daughter will swim off and find its own substrate to attach to and produce its own stalk. Vorticella is species of protozoa  and mainly live in freshwater ponds and streams where protists are in bigger supply. There are over 100 species. Vorticella use their cilia to create a vortex of water which directs food to their mouth. They eat bacteria and small protozoans and attach themselves to crustaceans, plant detritus, algae and rocks.  

Answer 3

Reproduction is by budding, where the cell undergoes longitudinal fission and only one daughter keeps the stalk. The free daughter becomes a telotroch, which swims until it finds suitable substrate to fix and develop its own stalk.