Greenville Academy of Sta.

Clara
Sta. Clara, Sto. Tomas, Batangas

Learning Module (Week 20)

Science 7
Teacher Ma. Carmela Estrada
January 18-22, 2021

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

 Identify beneficial and harmful microorganisms (S7LT-IIf-6)

The Protists - The microorganisms that are ordinarily called protists include three big
groups of organisms: the animal-like protozoans, the eukaryotic algae, and the fungus-
like slime olds.

Protozoans - These protists consist primarily of eukaryotic, single-celled organisms. They are
represented by four major groups, namely, flagellates, ciliates, sarcodina, and sporozoans.

Flagellates - These protozoans are called flagellates because they move about
with the help of one or more thread-like flagella (singular, flagellum). Some
representative flagellates are unicellular. Some are free-living such as
Chlamydomonas; some are parasitic like Trichomonas; some live singly such as
Euglena; and some live in colonies like Volvox.

Ciliates - This group of protists are all unicellular; most are free-living in freshwater and some in
the sea. Their cell is provided with numerous hair-like cilia for movement; hence, they are referred to
as ciliates. They exhibit a great deal of variation in shape and arrangement of cilia. For instance, the
slipper-shaped Paramecium is surrounded with cilia, while cilia are confined to the upper end of the
bell-shaped Vorticella. Meanwhile, Trichodina and Amphileptus exhibit other variations of cell shape
and arrangement of cilia.
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Sarcodina - These protists are unicellular organisms without a definite shape. Their cell
membrane is so flexible that they change shape constantly. They move around by extending finger-
like projections, called pseudopodia, at the side of the cell towards the direction where they are
going.

Sporozoans - They are parasitic protists that

produce spores at a certain stage of their life
cycle. Hence, they are called sporozoans. They are
parasites of animals. They usually
pass from one host to another in the spore stage.
Because the spores are light and tiny, they are easily
scattered by wind, water, and other agents from one
host to another. Plasmodium in human
red blood cells. Plasmodium is a sporozoan
that causes malaria in people.

Importance of Protozoa
How do protozoans affect us? Certain flagellates, such as Synura uvella, give unpleasant odor and
taste to our drinking water when present in large numbers. Other flagellates cause diseases in
man.Most ciliates are free-living in freshwater and some in the sea. A number of ciliates are
parasites of animals. Balantidium coli lives in the intestine of man, monkeys, and pigs. In man, it may
cause dysentery and ulcers on the walls of the large intestine. Except for this, ciliates as a group
have little effect on man.
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Like the ciliates, most sarcodina are free-living in freshwater and in the sea. But there are also
species that are parasites of animals. Six species of amoeba have long been known to infect
people—one in the mouth and five in the large intestine.

Entamoeba gingivalis - Lives in the tartar at the base of the teeth. It feeds on bacteria in the
mouth, and it is believed to be harmless when only a few are present. It may be transmitted by
kissing.
 Entamoeba histolytica - Lives in man’s large intestine. Man gets infected by it through
contaminated food or water. This amoeba can produce ulcers on the walls of the intestine and
cause amoebic dysentery.

All sporozoans are parasites of animals. They usually pass from one host to another in
the spore stage. Although sporozoans are among the most widely distributed parasites, only a
few of them are very harmful to their hosts.

Here are some ways to protect yourself from amoebic dysentery:

 Avoid eating contaminated food like food exposed to dust and insects.
 Boil tap water for at least one minute before drinking it.
 Avoid unpasteurized milk, cheese, and other dairy products.
 Practice proper hygiene, especially frequent hand-washing.

The Algal Groups

These eukaryotic, photosynthetic protists are classified into smaller groups according to the
dominant pigments they produce. The algal groups include the green, brown, and red algae;
diatoms; and dinoflagellates. Below are some of the examples of freshwater and marine algae.

Some freshwater green algae as viewed through a microscope (from left to right: Spirogyra,
Micrasterias, Stephanodiscus, Scenedesmus, and Stephanosphaera

Some marine green algae (from left to right: Ulva, Codium, and Caulerpa)
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Importance of Algae

Of great importance is the role of algae as producers of aquatic communities. Since 70% of
Earth’s surface is covered by water, marine algae including the phytoplankton are the major
producers of the living world. They produce about 80% of Earth’s supply of oxygen as a result of
photosynthesis. Actually, the phytoplankton, consisting of algae among others, are at the base
of the food chain in the sea as well as in inland bodies of water.

The presence of algae in water is advantageous to aquatic organisms for at least two reasons.
One is that they serve as food source and another reason is that they increase the amount of
oxygen in water as a result of photosynthesis. An abundant supply of oxygen destroys bacteria
in water. Hence, algae help lessen water pollution from sewage.

Do algae harm us in any way? Yes. Their harmful effects arise when they are present in great
numbers. This phenomenon is referred to as “algal bloom.” In an algal bloom that occurs in
inland bodies of water, the floating algae may cover the surface of the water. This will limit the
amount of oxygen from the air that will dissolve in the water. When this happens, the aquatic
organisms will die from lack of oxygen.

Activities (Asynchronous Learning)

Activity 1

In which group do the following set of protists belong? In the box below are the examples of the
Algae, Flagellates and Ciliates. List down each examples to its specific group.
Chlamydomonas Spirogyra Ulva
Paramecium
Trichomonas Micrasterias Codium Vorticella
Euglena Stephanodiscus Caulerpa Trichodina
Volvox Stephanosphaera Scenedesmus
Amphileptus
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Algae Flagellates Ciliates

Activity 2

On your bond paper, you are going to draw the Sarcodina. Color it using your crayons or
color pencils and write your insights about sarcodina.

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