this phylum The unicellular Paramecium is often used as a model ciliate Individual Paramecium cells exchange genetic material through conjugation a non reproductive sexual process After conjugation there are no daughter cells Only the two original cells are present Therefore it is not considered sexual reproduction The smaller micronuclei of the two cells are copied and swapped in the process A Paramecium that is undergoing conjugation may sometimes be confused with one that is going through fission asexual reproduction Paramecium Cytology 35 E Laurent Contractile vacuole Macronucleus Micronucleus Oral groove Pellicle Food vacuoles Mitochondrion Paramecium conjugation Anal pore Cilia Examine prepared slides of Paramecium or living cultures if available Paramecium conjugating and Paramecium undergoing fission For live cultures use a drop of Protoslo to slow the motion of the organism Draw and label the organism using the atlas as a guide Note the prominent nucleus and smaller structure micronucleus near the nucleus The indented portion represents the oral groove The cilia may appear as a faint fuzzy halo around the organism adjust the iris diaphragm and light intensity if necessary to view the cilia Describe the shape of the organism Paramecium Paramecium fission