Nutrition in Amoeba

Amoeba is a unicellular organism. It can change its shape for movement and feeding, called Pseudopodia. Nutrition in amoeba takes place by a process known as phagocytosis.

Amoeba does not have any specific organ for digestion or processing the ingested food; it uses its whole body in this process.

Process of Nutrition in Amoeba

The process by which organisms engulfs nutrition inside the body, either solid or liquid food, is called Holozoic Nutrition.

The Amoeba follows a 5 step process for acquiring nutrition.

1. Ingestion
2. Digestion
3. Absorption
4. Assimilation
5. Egestion

Ingestion

Ingestion is the process of taking the food. Amoeba oozes out the pseudopodia, encircle the food, engulfs & forms a food vacuole around the food.

This process of engulfing food with the help of pseudopodia is known as phagocytosis.

Digestion

Digestion is breaking down large and/or insoluble food molecules into small and soluble ones. 

Amoeba uses digestive enzymes to break down these large molecules into simpler ones.

Absorption

Absorption is the process of obtaining nutrients from broken down or digested molecules.

The cell’s cytoplasm absorbs the digested food molecules by diffusion, and the undigested particles are left behind in the food vacuole. Excess food is stored as a form of lipids and glycogen.

Assimilation

Assimilation is the process of obtaining energy from absorbed food. The absorbed food molecules are used to provide energy in different life processes within Amoeba. 

Egestion

Egestion is the process of excretion of undigested food particles. In Amoeba, it is done by rupturing the food vacuole, and the food is left outside the body.

Questions

Question 1. What is Phagocytosis?

Solution. Phagocytosis is when a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle, giving rise to an internal compartment(phagosome). 

Question 2. Where does food is digested in Amoeba?

Solution. Food is digested inside the food Vacuole, which is formed during Ingestion.

FAQs