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Euglena are unicellular organisms classified into the Kingdom Protista, and the Phylum Euglenophyta. All euglena
have chloroplasts and can make their own food by photosynthesis. They are not completely autotrophic though,
euglena can also absorb food from their environment; euglena usually live in quiet ponds or puddles.
Euglena move by a flagellum (plural , flagella), which is a long whip-like structure that acts like a little motor. The
flagellum is located on the anterior (front) end, and twirls in such a way as to pull the cell through the water. t is
attached at an inward pocket called the reservoir. CoIor the reservoir grey and the fIageIIum bIack.
The Euglena is unique in that it is both heterotrophic (must consume food) and autotrophic (can make its own food).
Chloroplasts within the euglena trap sunlight that is used for photosynthesis, and can be seen as several rod like
structures throughout the cell.CoIor the chIoropIasts green. Euglena also have an eyespot at the anterior end that
detects light, it can be seen near the reservoir. This helps the euglena find bright areas to gather sunlight to make
their food. CoIor the eyespot red. Euglena can also gain nutrients by absorbing them across their cell membrane,
hence they become heterotrophic when light is not available, and they cannot photosynthesize.
The euglena has a stiff pellicle outside the cell membrane that helps it keep its shape, though the pellicle is
somewhat flexible and some euglena can be observed scrunching up and moving in an inchworm type fashion. CoIor
the peIIicIe bIue.
n the center of the cell is the nucleus, which contains the cell's DNA and controls the cell's activities. The nucleolus
can be seen within the nucleus. CoIor the nucIeus purpIe, and the nucIeoIus pink.
The interior of the cell contains a jelly-like fluid substance called cytoplasm. CoIor the cytopIasm Iight yeIIow.
Toward the posterior of the cell is a star-like structure: the contractile vacuole. This organelle helps the cell remove
excess water, and without it the euglena could take in some much water due to osmosis that the cell would
explode. CoIor the contractiIe vacuoIe orange.
:03, is a genus of unicellular protists, of the class Euglenoidea of the phylum Euglenozoa(also known
as Euglenophyta). Currently, over 1,000 species of Euglena have been described. There are many to be
discovered. Marin et al. (2003) revised the genus to include several species without chloroplasts, formerly
classified as Astasia and Khawkinea. Some Euglena are considered to have both plant and animal
features. Due to these dual characteristics, much debate has arisen about how they should be classified.
n binomial nomenclature, according to the five-kingdom classification scheme, euglena have been
accurately placed into Kingdom Protista, more specifically into Subkingdom Protozoa, and even more
specifically into Phylum Mastigophora, which use flagellum as a method of locomotion.
Euglena is a protist that can both eat food as animals byheterotrophy; and can photosynthesize, like
plants, byautotrophy. When acting as a heterotroph, the Euglena surrounds a particle of food and
consumes it byphagocytosis. When acting as an autotroph, the Euglena utilizes chloroplasts, (hence
green color) containing Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, and some carotenoidpigments, to produce sugars
by photosynthesis. Each chloroplast has three membranes, and exist in thylakoid stacks of three. The
number and shape of chloroplasts within euglenozoa varies greatly due to environmental conditions and
evolutionary history. Euglena are able to move through aquatic environments by using a
large flagellum for locomotion. To observe its environment, the cell contains an eyespot, a primitive
organelle that filters sunlight into the light-detecting, photo-sensitive structures at the base of the
flagellum; allowing only certain wavelengths of light to hit it. This photo-sensitive area detects the light
that is able to be transmitted through the eyespot. When such light is detected, the Euglena may
accordingly adjust its position to enhance photosynthesis. The mobility of Euglena also allows for hunting
capability, because of this adaptation, many Euglena are considered mixotrophs: autotrophs in sunlight
andheterotrophs in the dark. Euglena also structurally lack cell walls, but have a pellicle instead. The
pellicle is made of protein bands that spiral down the length of the Euglena and lie beneath the plasma
membrane.
Euglena can survive in fresh and salt water. n low moisture conditions, a Euglena forms a protective wall
around itself and lies dormant as aspore until environmental conditions improve. Euglena can also survive
in the dark by storing paramylon granules in pyernoid bodies within the chloroplast.
Reproduction
Euglenas reproduce asexually, and there has been no evidence of sexual reproduction. Reproduction
includes transverse division and longitudinal division, which both occur in the active and encysted forms.
Acidity and alkalinity have been known to affect reproduction and life spans of Euglenozoans. Life spans
also greatly differ between each group of Euglenozoan.
Euglena Reproduction

Euglena undergoes asexual reproduction in order to multiply and follow one of the most simple and
common method of asexual reproduction called binary fission. Though it does exhibit some
characteristics of animals, there has been no existence of sexual reproduction in it. Binary fission
involves mitosis, a cell division process wherein the eukaryotic cell (cell with nucleus) splits the
chromosomes (thread like strands of DNA) in its cell nucleus into two identical sets in two separated
nuclei. Hence, the result of binary fission is two daughter cells which are genetically identical to each
other and to the parent.

Like mitosis in animals and plants, during binary fission the nucleus, chloroplasts, and basal bodies all
divide in half and then the entire organism separates down the middle. This is followed by the division
of the cytoplasm, resulting in two daughter cells, each having almost the same size and genetic
composition as the parent. These daughter euglena grow and further divide again. Depending upon
the plane of cytoplasmic division, binary fission is categorized into three types: simple (the
cytoplasmic division passes through any plane), transverse (the plane of cytoplasmic division coincides
with the transverse axis of the organism) and longitudinal (the plane of cytoplasmic division coincides
with the longitudinal axis of the organism) binary fission. Hence euglena, reproduce asexually by
undergoing longitudinal or lengthwise binary fission.