Ciliary activity and coordination in Euplotes eurystomus-I. Effect of microdissection of neuromotor fibres

Abstract

1. 1. Cinematographic records of the movement of frontal cirri, anal cirri and adoral membranellae of Euplotes eurystomus made possible quantitative studies of coordination phenomena of these cilia on the cell surface, the movement of cilia being expressed in terms of the inclination angle to the cell surface. 2. 2. Spontaneous changes in direction of effective stroke and in beating frequency of the three types of cilia were found to occur in close coordination with each other, even after complete dissection of neuromotor fibres, as in the unoperated organism. 3. 3. Fragments isolated from various parts of Euplotes by microdissection still manifested the spontaneous change in beating of cilia which beat in good coordination with each other within the fragments. 4. 4. It is concluded that the quick spread of change in ciliary activity through protoplasmic connections can be attributed to the plasma membrane which serves as a conductor of electrical events, denying the possibility of the conductive properties of the intracellular structures such as neuromotor fibres differentiated within the cell.