Paramecium, genus of microscopic, single-celled, and free-living protozoans. Most species can be cultivated easily in the laboratory, making them ideal model organisms, well suited for biological study. Paramecium vary in length from about 0.05 to 0.32 mm (0.002 to 0.013 inch). Their basic shape is an elongated oval with rounded or pointed ends, such as in P. caudatum. The term paramecium is also used to refer to individual organisms in a Paramecium species. Paramecium is the only genus in the family Parameciidae, which resides within the phylum Ciliophora.
Paramecia are completely covered with cilia (fine hairlike filaments) that beat rhythmically to propel them and to direct bacteria and other food particles into their mouths. On the ventral surface an oral groove runs diagonally posterior to the mouth and gullet. Within the gullet, food particles are transformed into food vacuoles, and digestion takes place within each food vacuole; waste material is excreted through the anus.
A thin layer of ectoplasm (clear, firm cytoplasm) lies directly beneath the pellicle (a flexible body membrane) and encloses the endoplasm (the inner, more fluid portion of the cytoplasm). The endoplasm contains granules, food vacuoles, and crystals of different sizes. Embedded in the ectoplasm are trichocysts (spindle-shaped bodies) that may be released by chemical, electrical, or mechanical means. The precise function of trichocysts is unclear; they may be extruded as a reaction to injury, or they may be used as an anchoring device, as a mechanism of defense, or as a means of capturing prey.
Depending on the species, a paramecium has from one to several contractile vacuoles located close to the surface near the ends of the cell. Contractile vacuoles function in regulating the water content within the cell and may also be considered excretory structures, since the expelled water contains metabolic wastes.
Paramecia have two kinds of nuclei: a large ellipsoidal nucleus called a macronucleus and at least one small nucleus called a micronucleus. Both types of nuclei contain the full complement of genes that bear the hereditary information of the organism. The organism cannot survive without the macronucleus; it cannot reproduce without the micronucleus. The macronucleus is the centre of all metabolic activities of the organism. The micronucleus is a storage site for the germline genetic material of the organism. It gives rise to the macronucleus and is responsible for the genetic reorganization that occurs during conjugation (cross-fertilization).
Strictly speaking, the only type of reproduction in Paramecium is asexual binary fission in which a fully grown organism divides into two daughter cells. Paramecium also exhibits several types of sexual processes. Conjugation consists of the temporary union of two organisms and the exchange of micronuclear elements. Without the rejuvenating effects of conjugation, a paramecium ages and dies. Only opposite mating types, or genetically compatible organisms, can unite in conjugation. P. aurelia has multiple hereditary mating types that form distinct mating groups; once known as syngens, these distinct groups are now considered separate species within the so-called P. aurelia complex. Autogamy (self-fertilization) is a similar process that occurs in one organism. In cytogamy, another type of self-fertilization, two organisms join together but do not undergo nuclear exchange.