Question

Do bacterial flagella push or pull a cell?

Answer 1

Hint: The flagella of the bacteria is a motile structure that performs the function of movement from one place to another for various functions that are important for survival. There are various kinds of flagella present in various bacteria like monotrichous, amphitrichous, lophotrichous and peritrichous.

Complete answer:
We know that single celled organisms such as bacteria possess flagella that are used for several processes such as gathering food, survival and getting away from danger. The primary function of flagella is locomotion however it does perform as sensory organelle by being sensitive to chemicals and temperatures outside of the cell.
Bacteria perform the function of locomotion by performing several movements like pull, push, coiling around the body etc. The flagella of bacteria are helical in structure that contains the protein flagellin. Flagella are long, hairy structures that are found at either one side or both sides of the bacteria and sometimes all over the surface of bacteria.
Additional information- A flagella possesses a long filament, a hook and a basal body. A flagella is an organelle that is defined by its function and not by its structure. Flagella is mainly present in three domains that are bacteria, Archae and eukaryotes. However, these all flagella differ in their structure and composition but their primary function remains to be of locomotion.
From the above discussion, we now know that bacterial flagella shows its motility through pushing, pulling and coiling around the body.

Note:
The movement of flagella is in the clockwise as well as anti-clockwise direction. The hook is attached to the basal body i.e. covered by the cell envelope.