Bug of the Month: The Value of Monitoring Stalked Ciliates

Stalked ciliates are protozoa (higher life-form organisms) that are characterized by their cilia, which are hair-like organelles. Ciliates are eukaryotic and contain two nuclei: a macronucleus, responsible for mainly cell functions, and a micronucleus which works together with the macronucleus to process genetic material to offspring through meiosis cell division.Stalked ciliates eat through a process called phagocytosis in which the plasma membrane of the cell is used to engulf large food particles, creating vacuoles (basically the “stomach” mechanism). The food follows a path in which it is broken down by lysosomes, and when small enough, enters the membrane of the