Lecture: Protozoan Diversity

Part 1: Video Recall

After watching the following video, into table 1 record the name of ten protozoans discussed in the
video and then in the same table also provide one neat fact discussed in the video about each of the
protozoans you listed. The link to the video is:

Diversity of Protists - YouTube

Table 1: Protozoans from the Video

Name of Protozoan from the Video One Neat Fact About the Protozoan that was
Mentioned in the Video

1. Euglena use the chloroplast, a bodily pigment, to do

photosynthesis.

2. Ectasia rely on the environment to provide for its dietary

needs while losing its chloroplast.

3. Parinema It assists in catching prey when it moves swiftly

using its flagellum.

4. Diatoms Having a yellow tint, the photosynthetic pigment.

5. Amoeba spreading and enveloping the prey with

pseudopodia as they travel via observation..

6. Green Algae The algae sex process is known as conjugation.

 7. Colonial Protists These protists live in Colonies.

8. Ciliates Protists Ciliates contain mitochondria to provide energy

to rotate cilia. Ex: Paramecium

9. Lachrymary extends its neck while hiding in the undergrowth

to catch prey.

10. Euplotes Tender-like structure called “Seri” which is used

to walk over.

Part 2: Reading Recall

Next, read the notes on protozoans (Protists) provided and then complete the table 2 that consists of
three columns. The three columns are Description of the specimen, Genus or Group, and Paste a Photo.
You are to fill in the blanks in the table. For example, the first horizontal row of the table includes the
description of a particular specimen from the reading and so for this horizontal row you are to provide
the Genus or Group found in the reading, and a Photo of the specimen you find on the WEB. In the
second horizontal row you are provided the Genus or Group from the reading and thus must provide a
description of the specimen from the reading in the appropriate space, and a Photo in the other space
which you search for on the web. And so on. Upon completion Table 2 will have 16 descriptions for
particular specimens from the reading, the genus or group each of the 16 specimens belong to also
found in the reading, and one photo for each of the 16 specimens that come from an online source.
READING

PROTIST NOTES

Some protists resemble the earliest eukaryotes; others are more complex in structure or niche. Many
are single celled organisms and therefore not so apparent to us; some are multicellular and larger than
we are. Many obtain their energy from photosynthesis; others are parasites that live within us and other
organisms. The evolutionary relationships of this group is less well understood than that of other groups
and is under revision. Although protists were once thought to share a common ancestry, this is now
thought not to be the case. For convenience, we are still grouping the following organisms together
under the heading “protists.”

It is convenient to divide the protists into three groups: “animal-like”, “plant-like”, and “fungal-like”
protists. These categories are artificial and do not accurately reflect evolutionary relationships.

1)”Animal-like” Protists

Members of this group either engulf their food particles prior to digestion (phagotrophic nutrition) or
absorb digested food molecules (osmotrophic nutrition).
Amoebas
There are several hundred species of amoebas. Some are “free-living” in soil and water. Some move
from salad greens to digestive tract back to salad greens in a life cycle that earns them the designation
“intestinal parasite.” They move from place to place by flowing projections of the cytoplasm called
pseudopodia which they also use to engulf food particles. The incorporation of whole food particles into
a single cell is termed phagocytosis – an important feature of the animal-like protest. An example is
Amoeba.

Ciliates
These are covered in tiny hair-like structures called cilia. Cilia move independently and propel the
organism about like a tiny Grecian warship. An example is Paramecium. The ciliates are free-living and
like Amoeba, obtain their nutrition by phagocytosis.

Apicomplexans (sporozoans)
Members of this group are animal parasites. The most famous belong to the genus Plasmodium which
causes malaria in humans, as well as other species. Like most parasites, the life cycle of Plasmodium is
complex and different morphological stages are present. During the stage of their life cycle that
concerns humans, the single celled merozoites burrows into one of our red blood cells using a short
sharp projection called the apical complex (thus the name of this group). The merozoites divide
asexually inside the red blood cell eventually filling the cell to the point where it bursts and releases
them.

Zooflagellates
Zooflagellates are one of the most diverse groups of protists. They have at least one flagellum. Some are
free-living, but most are symbionts or parasites.

Trypanosoma parasitizes both humans and the tsetse fly. After being bitten by an infected fly, the
merozoites enter the blood and infect the lymphatic and nervous system causing African sleeping
sickness.

Giardia inhabits aquatic environments and, if consumed by mammals, can cause an intestinal infection
otherwise known as giardiasis or “beaver feaver.” Giardia cells are easy to identify because they have
two haploid nuclei. To some people (not those with giardiasis), the cells are reminiscent of the “happy
face.”

Trichomonas is to the vagina as Giardia is to the intestines. Its symptoms are unpleasant and it can infect
other parts of the body as well as pose a risk to a fetus. It is an STD whose incidence is reported to be on
the increase.

Foraminiferans
Mostly members of this group are marine organisms with a porous shell composed of calcium
carbonate. It is termed a test. The test contains perforations through which pseudopods project. The
pseudopods are involved in the feeding and movement of these common planktonic organisms. As
foraminiferans reproduce and die, their tests slowly settle and accumulate on the bottom. Fossilized
tests are common in sedimentary rocks formed from marine environments. The limestone of the White
Cliffs of Dover is rich in these tests.

2)”Plant-like” protists
Members of this group are photosynthetic. They contain chloroplasts and several of a variety of
photosynthetic pigments, ranging in colour from green through yellow to orange and red.

Diatoms
Diatoms are common in both marine freshwater and marine plankton. Their photosynthetic pigments
impart a yellow and brown colour. They have unique glasslike shells consisting of silica embedded in an
organic matrix. The two halves of the shell fit together like the bottom and lid of a shoe box. These
beautiful ornate shells come in a huge variety of shapes. The fossilized shells of diatoms make up
diatomaceous earth, which has many industrial and commercial uses.

Dinoflagellates
Members of these groups are mostly found in marine habitats. They have a stiff coat of cellulose, often
encrusted with silica. Their two flagella cause the organism to spin like a top. Some are bioluminescent.
The toxins that some species produce result in extensive fish kills and paralytic shellfish poisoning in
humans.

Euglenoids
Euglenoids have two flagella. Although they are photosynthetic, they also have the ability to engulf food
particles. The ability to switch back and forth between these nutritional modes is referred to as
mixotrophy. The Euglenoid specimens that most are most familiar with belong to the genus Euglena.

Chlorophyta (Green algae)

Green algae are closely related to plants. Some are unicellular, others form colonies, and some are
multicellular. Most live in freshwater, but there are many marine species as well. Their colour is
distinctively greener than brown or red algae.

Volvox lives in freshwater. Cells remain attached and form a colony consisting of a hollow sphere of cells.
Daughter colonies form inside a parent colony by asexual reproduction.

Ulva, or “sea lettuce” is common in this area. Some consider it edible.

Phaeophyta (Brown algae)

Many of the “sea weeds” are brown algae and are called kelp. These are complex multicellular
organisms that have a root-like holdfast, which anchors it to the substrate, a stem-like stipe, and leaf-
like blades. The holdfast, stipe and blades collectively are called the thallus. Some brown algae have
floats that heep the blades near the surface.

Fucus is a brown alga that can be observed on local rocks in the intertidal zone. Its thallus has a
dichotomous branching pattern. You may notice little “bumps” that appear on its surface at certain
times of the year. These are conceptacles (they have to do with conception). Meiosis occurs in them and
either oogonia or antheridia are produced and released into the water.
Rhodophyta (Red algae)
The red algae posses a photosynthetic pigment that is responsible for the reddish colour. The colour is
actually only slightly red – some might call them reddish-brown or purple. Some red algae have cell walls
containing calcium carbonate and are called coralline algae. These hard cell calls decrease their risk of
being eaten by herbivores. Agar, which is used in making bacterial growth media, comes from red algae.

3)”Fungus-like” protists

Plasmodial (acellular) slime molds

Some protists superficially resemble fungi. Slime molds consist of a mass of cytoplasm containing many
nuclei, a structure called a plasmodium. They are often brightly colored and can be observed slowly
gliding across the forest floor. They feed on bacteria and small protists. The specimen you may be
familiar with is in the genus Physarum.

Oomycetes (water molds)

The cells of these organisms have a filamentous shape called a hypha. Some are saprophytes, feeding
on dead organisms. Others are parasites. Saprolegnia causes infections of freshwater fish. Phytophthora
causes plant diseases and one species was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the 1840s.

TABLE 2: Protozoans from the Reading

DESCRIPTION OF GENUS OR GROUP PASTE PHOTO FROM WEB

PROTIST

Causes paralytic Dinoflagellates

shellfish poisoning
(red tide)

They are often brightly Physarum

colored and can be
observed slowly
gliding across the
forest floor.

Coralline alga Rhodophyta

Causes a sexually Zooflagellates

transmitted

Disease

Saprolegnia causes Saprolegnia

infections of
freshwater fish.

Intracellular parasite Apicomplexans

of red blood cells

Its thallus has a Fucus

dichotomous
branching pattern.

Causes beaver feaver Zooflagellates

Daughter colonies Volvox
form inside a parent
colony by asexual
reproduction

Diatoms

Golden in colour with

a shell composed of
two parts

they are Euglena

photosynthetic, they
also have the ability to
engulf food particles.

Phaeophyta

Composed of holdfast,
stipe and blade
They move from place Amoeba
to place by flowing
projections of the
cytoplasm called
pseudopodia which
they also use to engulf
food particles.

Covered in cilia Ciliates

Ulva, or “sea lettuce” Ulva

is common in this
area. Some consider it
edible.

Pseudopods project Foraminifera

through perforations
in test