The effect of temperature on food vacuole formation by Tetrahymena thermophila

Abstract

Tetrahymena thermophila are ciliated protozoa that ingest food through the process of phagocytosis. In an experiment conducted to further study the metabolism of this organism, the effect of temperature on its metabolic rate was examined through the appearance of food vacuoles. Test tubes containing T. thermophila cells were exposed to three different treatment temperatures (12° C, 22° C, and 30° C) for 20 minutes each, and the mean number of food vacuoles formed in 10 cells after every 5 minutes within that time interval was subsequently recorded. Our data suggest that an increase in temperature does increase the metabolic rate of T. thermophila, as the average number of food vacuoles per cell following exposure to 12° C, 22° C, and 30° C, was 0.4, 1.2, and 2.8 respectively. Since the optimal temperature of this organism ranges from around 28° C to 30° C, we can infer that because of this, the cells appear to metabolize quickest at these temperatures.