filopodium
Quick Summary
Filopodia are slender, tapering extensions of cytoplasm used by some protozoans and cells of higher animals for locomotion and feeding. They are a type of pseudopodium, which are temporary or semipermanent projections that allow cells to move and engulf food particles.12
There are four main types of pseudopodia:
* Lobopodia: Blunt and fingerlike.1
* Filopodia: Slender and tapering, sometimes forming branched networks.1
* Reticulopodia: Branching filaments that fuse to create food traps.1
* Axopodia: Long, sticky, and radiate singly with an internal rod of microtubules.1
Filopodia and lobopodia are formed by pressure systems, while reticulopodia and axopodia rely on cytoplasmic flow. Pseudopodial locomotion is a form of amoeboid movement, characterized by a sliding or crawling motion.123
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protistPseudopodia…found among amoeboids include the filopodia and the reticulopodia. The filopodia are hyaline, slender, and often branching structures in which contraction of microfilaments moves the organism’s body along the substrate, even if it is bearing a relatively heavy test or shell. Reticulopodia are fine threads that may not only branch…
Read More…found among amoeboids include the filopodia and the reticulopodia. The filopodia are hyaline, slender, and often branching structures in which contraction of microfilaments moves the organism’s body along the substrate, even if it is bearing a relatively heavy test or shell. Reticulopodia are fine threads that may not only branch…
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protozoanAmoeboid movementThe extending filopodia branch and fuse with each other so that there is a complex, continuously changing network of pseudopodia pulling the organism along.
Read MoreThe extending filopodia branch and fuse with each other so that there is a complex, continuously changing network of pseudopodia pulling the organism along.
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