Cilia and Flagella – Difference and their Functions
Cilia And Flagella
Cilia (sing : cilium) & flagella (sing : flagella) are fine hair like outgrowths of the membrane. Cilia are smaller structures which work like oars. This activity of cilia causes the movement of either the cell or the surrounding fluid. On the other hand, flagella are comparatively longer & responsible for cell movement. Flagella are found in both prokaryotic cells but, are structurally different.
Eukaryotic Cilia and Flagella
(i) Cilia & Flagella are membrane – bound extension of the plasma membrane. They arise from the centriole – like basal bodies present at their bases that anchor & control their movements.
(ii) They are cylindrical structures & their core is called axoneme which possess a number of microtubules running parallel to the long axis. The axoneme is made up of nine microtubule doublets arranged radially along the periphry & a pair of microtubule present singly in the centre. Such an arrangement of microtubules is referred as (9 + 2) organisation.
(iii) The pair of tubules present in the centre are connected to each other by a bridge & enclosed common sheath called the central sheath.
(iv) The peripheral doublets are also connected to each other via linkers made up of nexin protein.
Difference between Cilia and Flagella
| Cilia | Flagella |
| 1. The number of cilia is usually very large.
2. They are smaller in size. 3. Cilia usually occur thoughtout or major part of the surface of a cell 4. Cilia help in locomotion, feeding, circulation etc. |
1. The number of flagella is usually 1 – 4.
2. They are longer in size. 3. Flagella are commonly found at one end of the cell 4. Flagella help in locomotion. |