Kingdom Protista,Part 1

General Characteristics• Eukaryotic• Unicellular (to colonial)• Autotrophic or

Heterotrophic• Appeared about 1.5 BYA

Classified into 3 main groups

1. Animal-like… heterotrophs capable of locomotion

2. Plant-like… photosynthetic autotrophs3. Fungus-like… decomposers that

reproduce by sporesSome protists may exhibit more than one characteristic, such as...….it is possible to be both animal-like and

plant-like.

Animal-like Protists(26-2)

classified by method of movement

Phylum Rhizopoda (formerly Sarcodina) : ex. Amoeba

The Amoeba usespseudopodia for locomotion.

The Amoeba in 3D – notice the pseudopods

Amoeba surround and engulf their food… the process is called phagocytosis.

An Amoeba eating a Paramecium.

Ciliophora

• all use cilia for movement• have many specialized structures, including

mouths, anal pores, contractile vacuoles, and two nuclei (a large macronucleus and small micronuclei)

• Ex. – Paramecium and Stentor

Phylum Ciliophora: ex. Paramecium

3D view – taken by a scanningelectron microscope

A closer look at the Cilia…. its means of locomotion

another Ciliate: Stentor

Phylum Zoomastigophora• have flagella• some species of

zooflagellates have mutualistic relationships

• ex.- Trichonympha digests cellulose in the guts of termites

Others are parasites, like Trypanosoma, which causes

African Sleeping Sickness (coma).

Trypanosoma

Trypanosoma

Tsetse Fly: carries Trypanosoma to humans; in other words, it’s a Vector

White Blood Cell

Red Blood Cells

Trypanosoma

Phylum Sporozoa

• are parasites• have no means of locomotion• form spores that are dispersed by

one or more hosts • ex. Plasmodium, which causes

malaria

Portions of the Life Cycle of Plasmodium vivax

It’s Vector: Anopheles Mosquito

Plasmodium vivax

Red Blood Cells

Phylum Foraminifera

• have a protective shell or TEST, usually made of calcium carbonate

• layers of tests can deposit on the ocean floor– these can form limestone and chalk, like the

White Cliffs of Dover– Some species of forams are good indicators of

oil deposits below

Cliffs of Dover