Question
Question: Differentiate whiplash flagellum from a tinsel flagellum...
Differentiate whiplash flagellum from a tinsel flagellum
Solution
Whiplash flagellum is known as acronematic flagella and the tinsel flagellum is also known as pantonematic flagellum. One of these bears has hair-like structures known as flimmer. They are found in fungal spores.
Complete answer:
The differences between whiplash flagellum and the tinsel flagellum are in their structures. Whiplash flagellum has a smooth flagellar surface whereas the tinsel flagellum possesses hair-like projections that project out of the flagellar surface. The differences are summarized in the table below:
| Whiplash Flagellum | Tinsel Flagellum |
|---|---|
| The Flagellar surface is smooth | The Flagellar surface bears hair-like projections |
| The flagella may have a narrow tip or blunt tip | The tip is not narrow, it is mostly covered by hairs |
| It is also known as acronematic or peitchgeisal flagellum | It is also known as pantonematic or flimmergeisel flagellum |
| Flagella is unbranched and has a 90-degree bend at the ends | Flagella are branched and no 90-degree bend is present. |
| Mastigonemes are absent | Mastigonemes are present |
| During the flagellar movement, the bent end shows back and forth whipping movement and therefore these flagella are known as whiplash flagella | The tinsel flagellum has numerous hair-like structures which look similar to the tinsels of aluminum Christmas tree and therefore they are known as a tinsel flagellum |
Additional Information:
The structure of eukaryotic flagella has the following component:
-Basal body
-Rootlets
-Basal Plate
-Shaft
The shaft of the flagella has three parts:
-The membrane covering which has been derived from the plasmalemma
-Matrix
-Axoneme
Note: The important point to remember is that these types of flagellar structures are found in the zoospores of fungi. It is also possible that a single spore can possess both tinsel and whiplash-type of flagella. Whiplash flagella can be further divided into two types one with a blunt end and the other with a non-blunt end. Whiplash flagellum is also known as a naked flagellum.