What are Flame Cells? Function and Examples

These cells get their beautiful name from how they look under a microscope. Inside the hollow center of the cell, there is a bundle of tiny, hair-like structures called Cilia. These cilia constantly beat back and forth very fast. When a scientist looks at them under a microscope, the rapidly beating cilia look exactly like the flickering flame of a burning candle.

Flame cells perform two absolutely crucial jobs to keep the worm alive:

1. Excretion: Just like our kidneys, flame cells filter out the highly toxic metabolic waste (specifically Ammonia) created by the worm's body and push it out through tiny pores in the worm's skin.
2. Osmoregulation: This is their most important job. If a flatworm lives in fresh water, water constantly floods into its body through its skin. If it doesn't get rid of this water, the worm will swell up and explode. The flickering cilia of the flame cells act like a microscopic water pump, constantly bailing the excess water out of the worm to maintain perfect internal water balance.

In biology exams, if you see 'Flame Cells', you must instantly think of the phylum Platyhelminthes (Flatworms). Famous examples of animals that rely entirely on flame cells include:

• Planaria (The immortal freshwater flatworm).
• Liver Fluke (Fasciola hepatica - a dangerous parasite).
• Tapeworm (Taenia solium).