Amoeboflagellate Explained

An amoeboflagellate (amoeboflagellates) is any eukaryotic organism capable of behaving as an amoeba and as a flagellate at some point during their life cycle. Amoeboflagellates present both pseudopodia and at least one flagellum, often simultaneously.

Occurrence

The amoeboflagellate cell type has been acquired numerous independent times across the evolution of protists (i.e. primarily unicellular eukaryotes that are not plants, fungi or animals). Some examples of protist phyla with amoeboflagellate body types are:

The amoeboflagellate phenotype is present in numerous protists that have a crucial phylogenetic position near the origin of animals and fungi, within the vast clade known as Opisthokonta. It has been described in choanoflagellates such as Salpingoeca, filastereans such as Pigoraptor, and even some early-branching fungi such as Sanchytrium, but it is absent in animals.[4] The two species of Pluriformea have a wide range of cell types, from cellular aggregations to amoeboflagellates.

Notes and References

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