Amoeba, a single-celled organism, engulfs its food through a process called phagocytosis. It extends finger-like projections of its cell membrane to surround a food particle (bacteria, another small organism). The membrane pinches inward, creating a food vacuole inside the Amoeba. Digestive enzymes are released into the vacuole to break down the food for the Amoeba to absorb nutrients.
- Finding Food: Extends finger-like projections (pseudopods)
- Envelopment: Pseudopods flow around food, encasing within cell
- Food Vacuole Formation: Creating a pouch-like structure around the food
- Digestion: enzymes break down the Food Vacuole
- Nutrient Absorption: absorbs nutrients from the food vacuole into its cytoplasm.
- Waste Elimination: exocytosis
