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The influence of temperature on the rate of locomotion in Amoeba II. The rate of locomotion in Amoeba at different temperatures
Author(s) -
Schwitalla Alphonse M.
Publication year - 1925
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.1050410104
Subject(s) - amoeba (genus) , biology , falling (accident) , locomotor activity , ecology , botany , endocrinology , medicine , environmental health
In general, the changes of locomotor rate of Amoeba under the influence of temperature are similar to the effects of temperature in other biological processes. The rate increases with rising and decreases with falling temperatures within a certain temperature range, this being, for the forms investigated, the interval between 6° and 23.5°C. In some individuals, however, these limits were found to be wider, extending from 2° to 26°. There is an average optimum at about 23.5°, beyond which an increase in temperature is followed by a decrease in rate. The immediate response of Amoeba to a change of temperature is variable, due, as was shown in a previous paper, to the fact that locomotor‐rate changes are rhythmic. The effect of a change of temperature is thus conditioned not only by the enviornmental factors, but also by the phases of the locomotor rhythm. This fact also makes it difficult to establish the exact quantitative relationship which exists between a change of temperature and the locomotor rate—an aspect which will be developed in a future paper.