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Glite Dictionary
cytostome

cytostome

9.9
A small opening on a single-celled creature that it uses to take in food
  • noun
  • /ˈsaɪtəˌstoʊm/
  • Specialized
: citostoma
  • Some protozoa have a well-developed cytostome that is visible under the microscope.

Examples

  • The cytostome is essential for the feeding process in many single-celled organisms.

  • The cytostome of the amoeba is crucial for feeding.

  • Researchers observed food particles being drawn into the cytostome during ingestion.

  • Some protozoans have a distinct cytostome for ingesting food.

  • The protozoan uses its cytostome to ingest nutrients from surrounding water.

  • During the feeding process, the cytostome helps the organism to take in small particles.

  • In some species, the cytostome is located at the end of a long feeding structure.

Surface Forms

cytostome singular
cytostomes plural

Morphology

cytostome = stoma (semi-transparent) = cyto + stome

The prefix 'cyto-' relates to cells, and 'stome' refers to an opening, but the specific biological context may not be immediately clear.

Etymology

The word cytostome comes from two Greek parts: cyto- meaning 'cell' and -stome meaning 'mouth'. So it is like a 'cell mouth', the opening a single-celled organism uses to take in food.