Cilia and flagella

Cilia and flagella are microscopic, thread like motile structures. They help in
locomotion. They are structurally similar but different in length and function.

Occurrence

Cilia are present in ciliated protozoans such as paramecium, while flagella can be
found in Euglena, bacteria, zoospores of algae and sperm cells. Cilia are shorter
and more numerous than flagella.

Cilia and flagella are the most common organelles for locomotion in unicellular
organisms. Organisms with cilia can move faster and more efficiently.

Cilia

Cilia are short hair or thread-like protoplasmic structures present in large numbers
in eukaryotic cells. The number of cilia present in an organism can vary from one
to many. Cilia are smaller (5-20 µm) but are numerous.

Cilia are of two types:

 Non-motile
 Motile
The motile cilia are found in the respiratory tract and fallopian tubes of the human
body.  Eggs in the females are moved from the ovary to the uterus by the cilia
present in the fallopian tubes present there. Non-motile cilia are also known as
sensory cilia or primary cilia. They act as sensory organelles. They receive signals
from nearby cells and act as antennae for the cells. E.g. cilia present on olfactory
neurons and hair cells.
Flagella

Flagella are hair-like structures emerging through the cell surface. They help in
locomotion in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Only 1-4 flagella occur per cell,
e.g., many protists, motile algae, spermatozoa of animals, bryophytes and
pteridophytes, choanocytes of sponges, gastro dermal cells of coelenterates,
zoospores and gametes of thallophytes. They are longer than cilia.

Structure of cilia and flagella

Both cilia and flagella are composed of following parts:

a. Basal body or basal granule or blepheroplast or kinetosome: This is the

basal part which is embedded in outer part of cytoplasm below the plasma
membrane. It has 9 + 0 arrangement of microtubules.
b. Rootlets: It is fibrous structure made up of proteins which develop from the
basal body. It helps to support basal body.
c. Basal Plate: It is an area of high density which lies above the basal body at
the level of plasma membrane.

d. Shaft: It is the hair like projection of cilium or flagellum which is composed

of 11 microtubules. The arrangement of the microtubules is 9 (doublet)+
2(singlet). The bundles of microtubules is called as axial filament or
axonema. In whiplash type of flagellum, outer sheath is smooth whereas in
tinsel flagellum, the sheath contains a number of thick hairy outgrowths
called flimmers that makes it appearance rough.

Functions of Cilia and Flagella:

 They help in locomotion in flagellated and ciliated organisms.
 They create current for obtaining food from aquatic medium.
 Being protoplasmic structures they can function as sensory organs.
 Their tips secrete sticky substance to help in conjugation and fusion of
gametes.
 Cilia of kidney remove excretory substances.
 In certain protistans, cilia fuse to form undulating membrane.
 Cilia and flagella show sensitivity to changes in light, temperature and
contact.

Differences between cilia and flagella

cilia flagella

Cilia are short, hair like cell organelle Flagella are long, threadlike cell
extending from the surface of a living cell. organelle present on the surface of a
living cell.

They are found in Prokaryotic cell as well

Ther are found in Eukaryotic cell.
as in eukaryotic cells.

Cilia are short and hair like organelle (5-

Flagellum is long wipe like organelle
10µ) in length.
(150µ) in length.

They are present in many (hundreds) per They are present in few numbers.

cell.

Cilia beat in coordination or one after the Flagella beat independent of each other.
other.

Cilia help in locomotion, aeration, feeding

Flagella help mainly in locomotion only.
circulation, etc.