The Engulfment of Food Particles by a Heterotrophic Protist Cell

Question

The engulfment of food particles by a heterotrophic protist cell is
A) chemotaxis.
B) phagocytosis.
C) pseudopodia.
D) organotaxis.
E) cytokinesis.

Accepted Answer

Phagocytosis is the process by which a cell engulfs food particles or other materials by extending pseudopodia around them and enclosing them within a membrane-bound vacuole, which is then transported within the cell for further processing. Chemotaxis refers to the ability of a cell or organism to move in response to a chemical gradient, while pseudopodia are the extensions of the cytoplasm used by the cell to move or engulf materials. Organotaxis is the movement or orientation of an organism in response to a particular stimulus, such as light or gravity. Cytokinesis is the process of cell division in which the cytoplasm divides to form two daughter cells. None of these terms describe the engulfment of food particles by a protist cell as accurately as phagocytosis.