{"id":5,"date":"2025-10-20T11:51:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/lonegroup01\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2026-01-08T17:32:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T17:32:26","slug":"metabolism-lilia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/lonegroup01\/metabolism-lilia\/","title":{"rendered":"Biotic interactions – Lilia Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amoeba proteus <\/em>(<\/em>A.proteus<\/em>)<\/em> is a unicellular organism that has a predatory ecological niche found in aquatic terrains or bottom mud especially found within freshwater, ponds and many more (Shi et al.<\/em>, 2021), (Neupane., 2023). This is due to their preference for nutrient-rich and low-disturbance habitats as these areas are where prey density is very high (Neupane., 2023). Prey such as bacteria and smaller protists are found in these freshwater areas which causes Amoeba proteus<\/em> to be found within larger ecosystems (Neupane., 2023). Within these food webs, these organisms act as micro-predators to keep the density of bacterium and protists low without directly disturbing the food chain (Shi et al.<\/em>, 2021). Alongside this, Amoeba proteus<\/em> also reacts with many species throughout its life. A.proteus<\/em> acts as a parasitism, this is where one organism lives within or on another benefiting by deriving nutrients from the host whilst slowly causing harm (Dinda et al., 2024). Many free-living A.proteus<\/em> host many human pathogens as well as natural living pathogen found in the freshwater areas where Amoeba proteus<\/em> is mostly found (Bornier et al<\/em>.,2021). As well as this, Amoeba proteus<\/em> acts as a predator to many different organisms surrounding it such as bacteria and protozoa. To feed on these organisms, A.proteus<\/em> can form parts of their body into pseudopods (Biscontini., 2022). Due to their undefined shape and ability to manipulate their body in many ways, amoeba use these pseudopods and move towards the food (Biscontini., 2022). It then forms many different pseudopods which wrap around the prey and engulf it, trapping it inside the A.proteus<\/em> itself (Biscontini., 2022). The specific pathogens are specifically selected through a process called chemotaxis where receptors can detect a chemoattractant which allow the pseudopods to detect these molecules (Shi et al.<\/em>, 2021). This is done through a process called phagocytosis which describes the ingesting of bacteria, which also describes the predation process A.proteus<\/em> follows as shown in Figure 1 (Shi et al.<\/em>, 2021). \u00a0Another way Amoeba proteus<\/em> can react biologically is through mutualisms. This is where two different species interact and both positively benefit from the interaction such as food and protection (Shu et al.<\/em>, 2018). A key example of this is the reaction between Amoeba proteus<\/em> and the unidentified strain of Gram-negative bacteria (Choi et al<\/em>., 1991). The bacteria initially attack the A.proteus<\/em> but then becomes essential for the survival and causes an essential relationship between the host and the bacteria (Choi et al<\/em>., 1991).<\/p>\n

Figure 1<\/strong><\/p>\n