How Does a Volvox Eat?

The volvox primarily eats through photosynthesis. Individual cells within the organism contain a red eyespot and, along with chloroplasts, make food from sunlight.

This organism converts sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. In addition, its diet consists primarily of other algae. On occasion, the volvox may consume other types of plants as well. The organism mainly finds its food by rummaging through the water using its flagella to hunt down food sources. Every colony contains two flagella to help move around, and entire colonies swim in a coordinated manner. The volvox prefers to live in freshwater ponds, but it can also survive in other locations such as ditches or shallow puddles.

The Volvox is a pond-dwelling algae in the family Volvocales. It can be identified by its nucleus, two flagella and a red spot. Although they can only be seen individually through the use of a microscope, these algae form colonies in the water that are often large enough to be seen with the naked eye. The colonies move their flagella together in order to transport the colony to areas where there is sunlight so the Volvox can use their chloroplasts to photosynthesize.

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