Paramecium Homeostasis A paramecium is a one-celled organism that lives in ponds and other
bodies of water. One of the challenges for a paramecium is to
maintain a stable size and shape. Every organism needs to maintain
stable internal conditions a process known as homeostasis-in order
to survive. A paramecium maintains homeostasis by responding to
variations in the concentration of salt in the water in which it lives. The
contractile vacuole is a star-shaped structure that helps the paramecium
pump out excess water. This adaptation ultimately allows the paramecium to
stay alive. (The concentration of a solution is equal to the amount of solute that is dissolved
given amount of solvent.)
(Criterion B, strand i.):
Explain a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation
1. Problem