PROTISTSKINGDOMS

ARCHAEBACTERIAEUBACTERIA

FUNGUS

– PROTISTS ANIMAL

PLANT

WHAT IS A PROTIST?• Organisms that share a lot of

characteristics with animals, plants and fungus BUT they cannot be classified in those Kingdoms because of some fundamental differences.

• “junk drawer” Kingdom– Very diverse group of organisms

• BUT, they do share some characteristics– All are EUKARYOTIC– All live in MOIST SURROUNDINGS

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PROTISTS

• ANIMAL-LIKE(ex. amoeba)

• FUNGUS-LIKE(ex. water mold)

• PLANT-LIKE(ex. Euglena)

ANIMAL-LIKE PROTISTS• Called PROTOZOANS

• HETEROTROPHS• Can move from place

to place to obtain food.

• UNI-CELLULAR• Grouped into four

classes based on HOW THEY MOVE

PROTOZOANS WITH PSEUDOPODS (sarcodines)What is a pseudopod?

-“false foot”; temporary bulges of the cell membrane that fill with cytoplasm

May also have a contractile vacuole

- collects extra water and then expels it from the cell

Example – amoeba

AMOEBA Amoebas are unicellular

protists that are able to change their shape constantly because their PSEUDOPODS are constantly changing.Pseudopods also help amoebas to get food food by ENGULFING and move towards the light.

PROTOZOANS WITH CILIA (ciliates)

What are ciliacilia?- hair-like projections on cells that move in a wave-like motion.

More complex cells, Two nuclei (macro and micro)

Oral groove – funnels food into the cell

Two contractile vacuoles

Example - paramecium

Paramecium does not become much larger than 0.3 mm

Paramecium caudatum in conjugation

PROTOZOANS WITH FLAGELLA (zooflagellates)

May have anywhere from 1-8 flagella

Most live inside the bodies of other organisms

TrypanosomaTrypanosoma – carried by Tse Tse flies and infects red blood cells causing the sleeping sickness disease.

PROTOZOANS THAT ARE PARASITES (sporozoans)

Feed on the cells and body fluids of their hosts.

Most do not move, depends on its host to move from place to place; others ooze

PlasmodiumPlasmodium – does not move; is a parasite; causes malaria

Infects a mosquito which then infects a human.

FUNGUS-LIKE PROTISTS• Alike fungus – are

HETEROTROPHS, have CELL WALLS, and use SPORES to reproduce

• Unlike fungus – are able to MOVE at some point in their lives

Video

FUNGUS-LIKE PROTISTS• Live in moist places, the water, or dead and

decaying trees

• Brightly colored

TYPES OF FUNGUS-LIKE PROTISTS

• Water molds• Downey mildews• Slime molds

Water molds can be parasitic as seen here.

PLANT-LIKE PROTISTS• Called algae• All are AUTOTROPHS• Play an important

role as a food source in the food chain

• Provide most of the atmosphere’s oxygen

• Contain pigments– - Chemicals that

produce color

• Algae vary greatly in size– Unicellular– Multi-cellular– Colonies

• Ex. Volvox

These Volvox live in colonies. Even though they are each an individual organism, some Volvox are specialized to perform certain functions for the colony like respiration or reproduction.

GametesDaughter cells

ALGAE CHARACTERISTICS

Euglenoids• Example:

Euglena• Green, uni-

cellular algae• Eyespot near the

flagella senses light.

EUGLENA

• Euglenoids, like this Euglena, have the ability to lose their chloroplasts. If you would keep Euglena in the dark they start feeding on organic matter and may loose their pigment

Dinoflagellates• Very colorful• Some even fluorescefluoresce

and can seem to make the ocean “glow”“glow” when they are disturbed by waves or passing boats.

• Have two flagella and move like spinning tops

Diatoms• Found in two basic shapes:

– Centric – cylindrical– Pennate – long, oval-shaped

• Diatoms are delicate unicellular organisms that have a yellow-brown chloroplast that enables them to photosynthesize.

• Their cell walls are made of silica almost like a glass house

• Layers of dead diatoms form diatomaceous earth.

• Used to make polish, in pool filters and as an insecticide

Red and Brown Algae• Almost all red

algae is seaweed.• Carrageenan is found

in red algae and is used in ice cream and hair products.

• Almost all brown algae is seaweed.

• Have lots of plant characteristics like holdfasts (roots), blades (leaves) and stalks (stems)

Red algal bloom

Stalk

Green AlgaeEx. SpirogyraIn Spirogyra the

chloroplast runs through the cell like a helix.

Protists and Evolution• Protozoans are believed to be the

evolutionary ancestors of all forms of animal life.  

• Green algae are believed to be the evolutionary ancestors to all forms of plant life.