REACTIONS OF SILVERLINE SYSTEM OF CILIATES TO MECHANICAL DAMAGES .I.

Reactions of the silverline system of the ciliates to various mechanical damages were investigated for ciliates having a striped system. 1. At the moment of the damage the silverline system changes into a membranous stage passing through a number of intermediary stages to the narrow-meshed grill. Shortly after the damage the silverline system regenerates itself to the normal striped system, passing through similar stages in a reversed order of succession than the change due to the damage. These processes take about 10 seconds. If the pellicle was injured, the narrow-meshed grill remains for about 60 seconds; afterwards within a few minutes, it will redevelop into a formatively changed striped system. 2. 30 and 60 minutes after compression, some animals showed internal damages which were indicated by characteristic formative changes in the silverline system. The locomotion of these animals was always uncoordinated. The first group of damages (30 minutes) resulted in the death of the animals while the other group (60 minutes) partly restored its damages within four hours, starting from the narrow-meshed grill and developing into an abnormally changed striped system, passing through a number of very clear formative reactions. 3. Specially after compression, the animal's resistance to mechanical stresses was decreased (especially the resistance of the silverline system). This abnormal resistance is continually regained within four hours. 4. All externally injured animals died within 24 hours even if they succeded in regenerating in the beginning. The phenomena of disintegration in fibrils and basal granules were essentially identical. From that it was judged that both organelles are build up by a similar material. In connection with this decaying the body of the cell became round and resorbed the ectoplasmatic organelles. This can be interpreted as an atempt of the animal to form a cyst. 5. As soon as the silverline system has changed into the narrow-meshed grill (due to injury) protrichocysts are no longer incorporated in this silverline system. After restoration (into the normal or formatively changed silverline system), protrichocysts were observed to be taken up again. An interpretation of this phenomenon is tried in connection with the phylogenetic stage of development. This is supported by investigations of other researchers. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.