Download - Protists
Protists
Section 2.13 Pages 128-133
TaxonomyDumping ground for anything that is not a plant, animal or fungus
Size
• Some are microscopic, single celled
ex. amoeba
• Some are macroscopic, multicellular
ex. kelp
Eukaryotic cell
-membrane-bound nucleus-vacuoles-mitochondria-chloroplast
Reproduction
• Asexually: by binary fission• Sexually: conjugation (DNA is exchanged)
• Unicellular organisms reproduce via binary fission or conjugation
Habitat
• Moist environments• Fresh water, salt water, animal fluids, very
damp terrestrial environments
Plant-like protists
• Chlorophyll• Photosynthetic but can also engulf food
Euglenoids
• Photosynthetic, eye spot, flagellum, pellicle, no cell wall, nucleus, chloroplasts, vacuoles
Red algae
• Autotrophic, multicellular
Green Algae
• Unicellular phytoplankton
Brown algae
• autotrophic, multicellular
Algae Importance
• produce food• supply oxygen• Pollution is a problem• Food source• Agar• Carrageenan is a filler• Petroleum resources
diatoms
• Autotrophic, unicellular
Animal-like protists
• Heterotrophs• Movement
amoebas
• heterotrophic, pseudopods
Ciliates
• Heterotrophic, unicellular, many cilia• paramecium
Paramecium
• Heterotrophic• Macronucleiand micronuclei• Vacuoles• Gullet• Cilia• Trichocysts
Apicomplexa
• Heterotrophic, unicellular,
Malaria
Plasmodiumsporozoans
Entamoeba hystolytica
• Amoebic dysentery
Beaver fever
• Giardia lamblia
African sleeping sickness
• Trypanosoma protozoa tsetse fly
Fungi-like protists
• Cool, shady, moist places
slime moulds
• heterotrophic, life stages include unicellular and multicellular stages, flagella or pseudopods.
Importance
• Disease• Food chain• Oxygen• Digestive tract dwellers