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