The members of the phylum Sarcodina are described
as being amoeboid.Amoeba proteus is the species most often studied. Species
included in the Sarcodina move by means of pseudopods, flowing extensions of the
flexible and amorphous body. The pseudopods also serve in food-catching. Most of
the sarcodines live in fresh water. A contractile vacuole, an organelle designed
to expel excess water from the protist cell body, plays an important role in
maintaining water balance. Food is temporarily stored in a food vacuole where it
is digested by the action of enzymes.
