The Invisible ABCs

Exploring the World of Microbes...

Letter J

Stentor

Habitat:

 

Stentor is found in most freshwater ponds.  It is a protozoan that can anchor itself to aquatic plants or swim freely through the water.

 

Importance:

 

Stentor is part of the food chain in aquatic ecosystems.  It eats bacteria and algae and is eaten by larger organisms.

 

Classification:

 

Stentor belongs to a group of unicellular microorganisms called protozoa.  Stentor is one of the largest protozoa and some of them can even be over 1000 mm in length.  Stentor eat bacteria by using a ring of short, thin structures called cilia that sweep the bacteria into a mouth-like structure.