What is the function of a contractile vacuole in a paramecium?

The contractile vacuole acts to pump out excess water from the cell. Paramecium live in freshwater, the water outside has lower solute concentration than that of the cytoplasm, thus due to osmosis, the water will flow into the cell. This excess water can be gathered at the contractile vacuole and then be expelled out. read more

In certain organisms, usually single-celled organisms lacking a cell wall, there exists a special kind of vacuole, called a contractile vacuole. A contractile vacuole works just the same as the name suggests, in that it expands and contracts. read more

Examples of cells that contain this contractile vacuole are amoeba, paramecium, and some types of algae. Some sponges (including amoebocytes, pinacocytes, and choanocytes), singled-celled fungi, and hydra also have contractile vacuoles. Some species, like certain types of amoeba, need just one contractile vacuole, while other species have two. read more

The contractile vacuole is a specialized type of vacuole that regulates the quantity of water inside a cell. In freshwater environments, the concentration of solutes is hypotonic, higher inside than outside the cell. read more