Species
Vorticella
Algae and Protists
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Vorticella is a genus of ciliate protozoans found in freshwater ponds, lakes and slow streams worldwide, recognizable by its bell-shaped body attached to a substrate by a long, slender stalk. The stalk contains a coiled contractile fiber that can snap the body into a tight spring shape almost instantly when disturbed, a defensive reflex unusual in speed among single-celled organisms, and the bell-shaped body sweeps bacteria and other food particles toward its mouth using a ring of beating cilia.
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