Post Lab Question

1. What features distinguish slime molds and water molds from fungi?
Both protists highly resemble fungi in that they are saprophytic, consisting of fungus-
like bodies and threadlike structures called hyphae. However, the key difference
between slime molds and water molds from fungi is their cell wall composition. Their
cell wall contains centrioles and their cell walls are built from cellulose instead of
chitin in fungi.
2. What are the features of a typical protist?
All of protists are eukaryotic organisms. Their cell organization consists of
unicellular, multicellular, or colonial. Protists have nuclear membranes around their
DNA and other membrane-bound organelles. Most protists live in aquatic habitats and
most can move. They have complex life cycles that include both sexual and asexual
depending on the condition. Some protists are parasitic and some might be
heterotrophic. They obtain food via ingestion, absorption, or photosynthesis. They
also can be sorted into animal-like, plant-like, and fungi-like
3. Why are protists so difficult to classify?
The diversity of the Protista is the key factor of difficulties in classifying the protists.
Classification based on animal-like, plant-like, and fungi-like is not the right way to
sort the protist due to cross-kingdom characteristics. As an example, the euglena
exhibits characteristics of both plant-like and animal-like protists. It has chloroplast-
like plants and flagella making it mobile like animals. Due to this, it is quite difficult
to justify the classification of Protista.
DISCUSSION
Animal-like Protists
The diversity of protists causes some to share characteristics even though they are
classified into different groups. Animal-like protists (Protozoans) are heterotrophic
protists that ingest their food as animals do. Their organelles are a mixture of animal
and plant structures. However, they possess nuclei; a feature that distinguishes them
from another unicellular organisms. Protozoans differ by their means of locomotion;
which is similar to animal mobility. Their motion is consistent with the type of
locomotion organ owned by each protozoan such as cilia, flagella, or pseudopod.
Flagellates move by flagella, amoeboids move by pseudopods, ciliates move by cilia
and sporozoans are not mobile. In this practical, the prepared slide that was observed
under animal-like protists are Amoeba proteus, Paramecium caudatum, and
Trypanosoma crusi, in blood smear and Plasmodium falciparum, smear.
Amoeba proteus is a Phylum Sarcodina (amoeboid protozoans). They are mostly
found in water bodies, either fresh or saline. They have pseudopodia (false feet) which
are able to elongate for capturing and engulfing food. This motion is unable to be seen
under the light microscope. However, the extruding part is the pseudopod; allowing
the Amoeba proteus to move from one place to another. Upon observation under the
light microscope, the Amoeba proteus does not have a particular shape, except for the
pseudopodia that consistently protrude from the cell. The magnification used for the
observation is 400x magnification. These features enable access for it to surround,
engulf and ingest its food. Food particles in the Amoeba proteus are ingested through
phagocytosis. It is also observed that this protist has a nucleus that resembles the
organisms belonging to the kingdom of Animalia.
Paramecium caudatum is a Phylum Ciliophora (ciliated protozoans). The paramecium
is smaller than the amoebas. Microscopically small structures that resembled hairs
could be seen on the organism's membrane when seen with a light compound
microscope. Paramecium may move thanks to cilia, a tiny structure resembling tiny
hairs. The Paramecium propels itself across the water using these hair-like
appendages as oars. Slow rotation and frequent direction changes are how they swim.
When a paramecium encounters an impediment, it pauses, swims backward, and then
bends itself forward in a slightly different direction. Both movement and feeding are
assisted by cilia in the Paramecium. The Paramecium's aperture was seen under a
microscope to have the appearance of a funnel. The term "oral groove" refers to the
cilia-lined entrance. To facilitate eating, it draws food into the mouth groove. With the
aid of cilia, which guide and propel food inside, the oral grooves function as a mouth,
allowing for the ingestion of food. The majority of ciliates reproduce asexually by
binary fission.
Trypanosoma crusi, in blood smear, is classified under Phylum Mastighophora
(flagellated protozoans). This protist is classified as a parasitic group that can harm
its host. Trypanosoma are unicellular, flagellated, parasitic protozoans that are a part
of the Kinetoplastea family. Trypanosoma moves in a spiraling pattern. Trypanosomes
are the collective name for all zooflagellate, protozoan members of the Trypanosoma
genus. As obligatory parasites, they must have at least one host for the entirety of their
life cycle. Heterogenous creatures need more than one host to complete their life
cycle. Most often, blood-feeding invertebrates transmit them. A single flagellum, a
single nucleus, and a leaf-like or spherical body could be observed under a 400x
microscope. All the traits were parasitic and infested the blood and fixed tissues of all
vertebrate groups. Trypanosoma cruzi spends part of its life cycle in a vertebrate and
the other in a blood-sucking invertebrate that serves as a vector for the disease.
Trypanosomatids modify their body structure during the Trypanosoma cruzi life cycle
dependent on the host or the organ. Numerous domestic and wild animals acted as
reservoir hosts for these parasite organisms, and the R wild insect, often known as the
"kissing" bug, was the arthropod that carried them. The human parasite trypanosomes
cause African sleeping sickness. They were spread by an infected bug's bite. The
symptoms first appeared as frequent fever attacks. Trypanosomes can enter the central
nervous system, which causes speech and movement problems in those who are
affected. If left untreated, it may eventually result in death.
Plasmodium falciparum is classified as Phylum Apicomplexa (sporozoans). Another
protist that parasitizes animals is called Plasmodium falciparum. Animals are harmed
by these parasitic protists, and people can get quite sick from them. The nucleus,
cytoplasm, and vacuole of a Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte may be seen under a
400x light compound microscope. They were given the term apicomplexans because
the sporozoites' apex has a complex designed specifically for entering host red blood
cell cells. The red blood cells contain Plasmodium falciparum in its ring form. It has a
ring-like form, hence the name, and is made up of the central vacuole, the cytoplasm,
and the nucleus. It has also been demonstrated that the ring formations are extremely
thin and sensitive. Throzoites are tiny. Additionally, they may resemble a signet ring
and have a thin cytoplasm. Additionally, they have a single nucleus and are
vacuolated. About two-thirds of the red cell is taken up by schizonts. They have two
or four merozoites, as well as pigments that become black when stained. Plasmodium
falciparum schizonts, which represent the parasite's dividing form, are likewise tiny
and stationery. The reproductive stages of the parasite, called gametocytes, have a
crescent-shaped (banana-like) shape. The parasite has both male and female forms,
which are each roughly one and a half the size of a typical cell, and are the sexual
forms. Sporozoites are classified as having a single mitochondrion, a small pellicle,
and a sickle-shaped body (Martin, K. Rono, 2017). An infected Anopheles sp. bites a
human during the beginning of the Plasmodium life cycle, injecting Plasmodium
sporozoites through its saliva. Through the bloodstream, the sporozoites go inside the
host's liver cells. The sporozoites divide numerous times over the course of several
days before becoming merozoites. Red blood cells are penetrable by the merozoites
thanks to their apical complex. Inside red blood cells, the merozoites divide sexually
infrequently. Large numbers of merozoites emerge from blood cells every 48 and 72
hours, causing recurrent chills and fever. Some of them could spread to other red
blood cells. A few merozoites develop into gametocytes. An additional Anopheles
species bites the sick person and takes gametocytes from the Plasmodium species
along with the blood. Gametocytes give rise to gametes. In the mosquito's digestive
tract, fertilization takes place, and a zygote is created. The sole diploid stage of their
life cycle is the zygote. In the mosquito's intestines, a zygote transforms into an
oocyst. Numerous sporozoites are released by the oocyst and go to the mosquito's
salivary gland.
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