Question

How does Amoeba obtain its food?
(a) Endocytosis
(b) Exocytosis
(c) Phagocytosis
(d) Both A and C

Answer 1

Hint: The process of taking food through the invagination of the membrane around it with the help of the false feet in amoeba.

Complete answer:
The food in amoeba is obtained by the process of endocytosis. Endocytosis is a cellular process where the substances are brought into the cell by a cell membrane surrounding the cell. These cell membranes then break off and form a vesicle surrounding the food material.
Additional information 1. The term endocytosis was proposed by De Duve in 1963. Endocytosis is of two types:
(a) Pinocytosis – is also known as fluid endocytosis. It is the process in which the small suspended particles present in the extracellular fluid are taken into the cell through the invagination of the cell membrane. This leads to the formation of small vesicles containing a suspension of the particles.
(b)Phagocytosis – it is a Greek word meaning “to eat”. In this process, there are certain living cells which are called phagocytes engulf the cells or other particles. It is a defense mechanism against certain infections in the case of higher animals.
2. The amoeba engulfs food with the help of pseudopodia and then it forms a vesicle around it.
3. When the particle is inside the vesicle, amoeba secretes digestive enzymes that digest the food particle.

So, the correct answer is ‘Both A and C'.

Note: The opposite of endocytosis is exocytosis. Exocytosis is a type of active transport where cells transport molecules out of the cells which requires energy. This process takes place for those molecules which move against the gradient in a large amount. The term exocytosis was proposed by De Duve in 1963.