exflagellation

1 9.9

Single cells like malaria parasites release thin tails into their surroundings

noun
/ˌɛksflædʒəˈleɪʃən/

Specialized

: exflagelación

During the life cycle of certain protozoa, exflagellation occurs when male gametocytes release flagella to facilitate movement.

Examples

Microscopic observation revealed the moment of exflagellation in the laboratory sample.
During exflagellation, the protozoan cell releases thread-like flagella into its environment.
The biologist studied exflagellation in malaria parasites to understand their reproduction.
The exflagellation of the protozoa is crucial for their reproduction.
During exflagellation, the cells release their flagella.
The process of exflagellation is critical for the reproduction of some protozoan species, enabling them to swim towards female gametes.
Researchers observed that the exflagellation of male gametocytes significantly increases their ability to fertilize female gametes.

Surface Forms

exflagellation singular

exflagellations plural

Morphology

exflagellation = exflagellate (semi-transparent) = ex + flagell + ation

Formed regularly from the verb 'exflagellate' + '-ation', but the verb and root are technical biological terms and may be unfamiliar or confused with 'flagellation' (whipping).

Etymology

The word exflagellation comes from ex- 'out' and flagellum 'whip'. So think of a cell pushing its tiny whip-like tails out, which is why exflagellation means the release of thread-like flagella from a cell.