lobose

Lobose is an adjective used in biology to describe organisms, cells, or cellular forms that exhibit lobes or lobe-like projections. It is most commonly applied to certain amoeboid organisms that move and feed using broad, blunt lobes called lobopodia, rather than slender, thread-like extensions.

In protozoology, lobose amoebae are a major morphotype. They are typically irregularly shaped, with large, rounded pseudopodia that flow as the cell moves. This lobose form contrasts with filose amoebae, which extend slender, filament-like pseudopodia. Lobose amoebae commonly move by ameboid locomotion and ingest prey by phagocytosis, enclosing food particles with their lobed membranes.

Ecologically, lobose amoebae are diverse and widespread, inhabiting soil, freshwater, and some marine environments. They can play roles as free-living decomposers and as consumers of bacteria and other microorganisms. Reproduction in lobose amoebae is predominantly asexual, occurring by binary fission, though sexual processes are described in some species, albeit rarely.

Taxonomically, the term lobose has historically described a morphological grouping within the broader Amoebozoa. Modern molecular phylogenetics has refined amoebal classification, but the term remains in use as a descriptive term for cells and organisms that exhibit lobed pseudopodia. Examples of lobose organisms include species such as Amoeba proteus and Chaos carolinensis, both noted for their large, lobed cell bodies in laboratory and natural settings.

Etymology-wise, lobose derives from Latin roots related to lobes, incorporating the suffix -ose to indicate a quality or abundance of lobes. See also amoebae and amoebozoa for related concepts.