A. Mitotic Activity/ how they reproduce?

Asexual reproduction- Paramecium usually reproduces by splitting in two, forming

two virtually identical individuals from one organism. Most ciliates divide
transversely, splitting in two by pinching off in the middle of the long axis of the
organism.. The macronucleus does not divide by mitosis, rather it elongates and
then splits in two, roughly one half going to the each of the new daughter cells. This
type of reproduction involves no exchange of genetic material, and is a type of
asexual reproduction. This form of asexual reproduction is often called 'fission'.
*Paramecium can reproduce asexually two or three times a day.
Sexual reproduction- Sexual reproduction involves the exchange of genetic material
between two individuals of different 'mating strains'. Through a process called
conjugation, two paramecia line up side by side and then fuse together. All but one
of the cell's micronuclei disintegrate. This micronucleus then divides* into four one
of which will be exchanged during conjugation. (* This process involves meiosis,
where the diploid micronucleus divides twice to yield four haploid micronuclei. Three
of these disintegrate, while one divides again to produce two swapping haploid
micronuclei.)
* Paramecium only reproduce sexually under stressful conditions. This occurs
via gamete agglutination and fusion. Two Paramecium join together and their
respective micronuclei undergo meiosis. Three of the resulting nuclei disintegrate,
the fourth undergoes mitosis. Daughter nuclei fuse and the cells separate. The old
macronucleus disintegrates and a new one is formed. This process is usually
followed by asexual reproduction.

B. Where to get Paramecium?

Paramecium live in aquatic environments, usually in stagnant, warm water. The
species Paramecium bursaria forms symbiotic relationships with green algae. The
algae live in its cytoplasm. Algal photosynthesis provides a food source for
Paramecium. Some species form relationships with bacteria. For example,
Paramecium caudatum hosts Holospora obtusa in its macronucleus. This bacteria is
specific to the macronucleus of Paramecium caudatum; they cannot grow outside of
this organism. This species acquires heat-shock resistance when infected with
Holospora obtusa, which contributes to ciliary motion. Paramecium are also well
known as prey for Didinium.
Paramecia play a role in the carbon cycle because the bacteria they eat are often
found on decaying plants. Paramecium will eat the decaying plant matter in addition
to the bacteria, further aiding decomposition.
Paramecia can be used as model organisms in research. Currently, they are being
used a great deal in genetics research. For example, recent research involves
inactivating Paramecium genes for studying functional analysis by homologydependent gene silencing. They can also be used to study membrane excitability
and the duplication of basal bodies.

C. Feeding method
They feed on microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and yeasts. The paramecium
uses its cilia to sweep the food along with some water into the cell mouth after it
falls into the oral groove. The food goes through the cell mouth into the gullet.

When there is enough food in it so that it has reached a certain size it breaks away
and forms a food vacuole. The food vacuole travels through the cell, through the
back end first. As it moves along enzymes from the cytoplasm enter the vacuole
and digest it. The digested food then goes into the cytoplasm and the vacuole gets
smaller and smaller. When the vacuole reaches the anal pore the remaining
undigested waste is removed. Paramecium may eject trichocyts when they detect
food, in order to better capture their prey. These trichocyts are filled with protiens.
Trichocysts can also be used as a method of self-defense. Paramecium are
heterotrophs. Their common form of prey is bacteria. A single organism has the
ability to eat 5,000 bacteria a day. They are also known to feed on yeasts, algae,
and small protozoa. Paramecium capture their prey through phagocytosis.

D. Maintenance
The first step is to set-up the food chain. Fill a 2-liter bottle full of clean aged tap
water, and add one chunk of Purina Dog Chow and 2 square inches of dried iceberg
lettuce. Leave this bottle overnight (12-24 hours) uncovered, thus creating a
bacterial bloom. I do not recommend adding dog food to an older culture, however,
because it can cause a bacterial bloom so intense that the culture goes anaerobic
and the paramecia literally suffocate producing a smell rivaling that of a microworm
culture gone bad.
Step two is to add the starter culture (about a cup of a thriving paramecium culture)
and cover the bottle loosely. It will take approximately 6 -10 days for the bacterial
cloud to clear, but when it does you will have millions of paramecia.
Step three is maintaining the population At first the paramecia are thick in the
container, but a week or so after the bottle has cleared you will notice a decline in
the population density. That is because the when there was an abundance of food
(bacteria) the paramecia grew and multiplied. The population growth is exponential,
and the paramecia rapidly exceed the available food supply. Eventually the
paramecia and bacteria will reach a balance point, where the population level can
be sustained by the available food. So, if you want to keep the paramecia
population up, you have to keep the bacteria up as well i.e. you have to keep
feeding the bacteria. I suggest adding 8-12 rolled oats (old fashioned Quaker
Oatmeal), about once a week. You can vary the amount, and the frequency of
feeding, to maximize population density. Another tip is to add a couple snails to the
culture (after it clears initially). Snails eat excess food and their waste products
encourage bacterial growth. The bottom line is that cultures with snails will
consistently out produce those without snails! Eventually the waste products of
metabolism will accumulate to the point of toxicity where the population does not
revive upon re-feeding. I can usually keep a culture going strong for 2-3 months
before the inevitable decline. The worst case is when the culture "goes bad" (hold
your nose as you pour it out) and you have to start over. One way to assure a
constant supply of paramecia is to keep at least 3 cultures going all the time dumping the oldest of the 3 existing cultures and starting a new culture each
month. That way if one culture goes bad, or you overfeed and a culture gets cloudy,
you will probably have at least one other clear culture from which to feed or start a
new bottle. By the way, an old culture need not go down the drain, so to speak instead dump it into your daphnia culture, or use it to water your house plants!
Temperature- room temperature
For more info- http://www.livefoodcultures.com/paramecium.html

Steps in counting paramecium

1. Obtain a new or carefully washed plastic Perti dish. Use either the top or bottom.
2. Mix the culture thoroughly. Paramecia swim up against gravity and also gather
in clumps, so you need to mix them and then quickly take a sample.
3. Remove 1 ml of the culture. Use either a serological pipette or an automatic 1ml
pipettor. Then make little dots of medium all around the petri dish be releasing the
culture in the pipette little by little at many spots on the dish.
4. Add a small drop of formalin to each drop of Paramecia. That will stop them from
swimming so you can count them. Be very careful not to get any formalin in your
cultures.
5. Count every Paramecium in each drop. That will tell you the number per ml.
6. If there are more than 8 - 10 in each drop, then use the method of serial
dilutions: Put 1 ml of well mixed culture into 9 ml of a washing solution (autoclaved
tap water will do). Now mix the diluted culture thoroughly and follow steps 1-5.
Then use the dilution factor (in this case a 10-fold dilution) to get the density of the
original culture.

Lifespan
The reported maxima of the clonal lifespan of Paramecium tetraurelia fall into two
ranges: from 220 to 258 fissions and from 310 to 325 fissions.
http://jcs.biologists.org/content/88/1/129.full.pdf

References:
https://www.ebiomedia.com/the-biology-classics-paramecium-reproduction.html
http://101science.com/paramecium.htm
http://www.aka.org/wako/~WebContent/Articles/Culturing%20Paramecia.html
http://www.hope.edu/academic/biology/meciums/paracoun.htm