Protists Print Friendly and PDF

Google Slides: Kingdom Protista

Protists belong to the Kingdom Protista, which includes mostly unicellular organisms that do not fit into the other kingdoms.

Characteristics of Protists

Protista = the very first

Classification of Protists

Animallike Protists - also called protozoa (means "first animal") - heterotrophs
Plantlike Protists - also called algae - autotrophs
Funguslike Protists - heterotrophs, decomposers, external digestion

.Animallike Protists: Protozoans

Four Phyla of Animallike Protists

Classified by how they move

Zooflagellates

move using one or two flagella
absorb food across membrane

Leishmania

leishmaniaslide

Sarcodines

Ameba (See Ameba Coloring Sheet)

moves using pseudopodia ( "false feet" ), which are like extensions of the cytoplasm --ameboid movement
ingests food by surrounding and engulfing food (endocytosis), creating a food vacuole
reproducing by binary fission (mitosis)
contractile vacuole - removes excess water
can cause amebic dysentery in humans - diarrhea and stomach upset from drinking contaminated water
Other sarcodines: Foraminferans, Heliozoans

amebaslide

Ciliates

Paramecium (See Paramecium Coloring Sheet)

move using cilia
has two nuclei: macronucleus, micronucleus
food is gathered through the :mouth pore, moved into a gullet, forms a food vacuole
anal pore is used for removing waste
contractile vacuole removes excess water
exhibits avoidance behavior
reproduces asexually (binary fission) or sexually (conjugation)
outer membrane -pellicle- is rigid and paramecia are always the same shape, like a shoe

amebaparamecium

Pond Life Video Gallery

Sporozoans

do not move on their own
parasitic
Malaria is a sporozoan, infects the liver and blood

 

More Notes

Animallike Protists and Disease
Plantlike Protists: Unicellular Algae