Protists (Chapter 35)

Outline
• Origin of eukaryotes (Chapter 3)
• Sexual & asexual life cycles (Chapter 8)
• Evolution of symbiosis & multicellularity
• Classification of Protists

Key concepts:
eukaryotes, endosymbiosis, sexual & asexual
life cycles, symbiosis, multicellularity

Where did Eukaryotic cells come from?

Primary plastid (chloroplast)

Secondary plastid (chloroplast)

Knox 35-1

Where did Eukaryotic cells come from?

• appeared in fossil record 1.9 - 2.1 billion yrs

• arose from prokaryotes
• have a nuclear envelope & chromosomes
(nucleus)
• other internal membrane-bounded organelles
(chloroplast & mitochondria)

prokaryotic eukaryotic chromosomes

chromosome inside nucleus

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 Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes
Eukaryotic cells

Plant cell

Animal cell
Prokaryotic cell

Knox 4.1-3

Plastids & mitochondria arose

Knox 35-2
by endosymbiosis

Evidence...
• Divide before rest of cell
• Enclosed in separate
membranes
• Contain prokaryote-like
DNA

Plastids & mitochondria arose by

endosymbiosis

Knox 35-2

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 Cell division in prokaryotes

Knox 8.2

Asexual Reproduction
Asexual
reproduction
produces
identical
copies
(clones) by
mitosis
(copying &
dividing the
chromosomes)
followed by
cytokinesis
(dividing the
cell).
Knox 8.4

Sexual Reproduction

Sexual
reproduction
leads to greater
diversity
• Fertilization
• Meiosis =
production of
haploid gametes
(eggs & sperm)
from diploid
parent cells

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 Meiosis & Recombination

Parental chromosomes are independently

sorted
– possible combinations of parental
chromosomes is 2n (n = chromosome #)

n recombinations
1 21 2
2 22 4
4 24 16

23 2 23 >8,000,000

Knox 8.14

Comparison of
Meiosis &
Mitosis

Cilia &
Flagella

Knox 4.26
& 35.4

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 Evolution of
Multicellularity
• evolved many times
• colonial protists… the
link between unicellular
protists & multicellular
organisms
• Choanoflagellates can
be free living or colonial

Choanoflagellate
cell with
flagellum Knox 35.5

Protists - a diverse group of Eukaryotes

Protists are a polyphyletic group - include a number

of major lines of evolution.

Primary plastid (chloroplast)

Secondary plastid (chloroplast)
Knox 35-1

Protists - a diverse group of Eukaryotes

• Eukaryotes that are not plants,
animals or fungi >100,000 species
• most unicellular
• live in aquatic habitats (major
component in plankton)
• Diverse modes of locomotion, feeding &
reproduction Green algae
• Diverse habits & interactions with other (plant-like)
organisms

slime moulds ciliates

Euglena
(fungus-like) (plant & animal like) (animal-like)

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 Protists are difficult to classify

• Sponge-like protist
• Slime moulds
• Parasitic flagellates:
diplomonads diplomonads An actinipod
• Symbionts & parasites:
parabasilids
• Amoebae
• Protists with plastids
•primary plastids “greens”
•Protistan pirates
• Alveolates: dinoflagellates Chrysophytes
& ciliates
• Euglenoids
• Cercozoa & forams
see Table 35.1Water mould

Parasitic flagellates contaminate water

supplies: Diplomonads
Thought to be living relics of
early eukaryotes
• no mitochondria
• anaerobic respiration
• mostly endosymbionts
• Found in guts of animals

Trichononympha

•1 or 2 nuclei
•Up to 8 flagella
Giardia (diplomonad)

Amoebozoa - Amoebae

• Move and feed Knox 35.11 Amoeba

using proteus eating a
pseudopodia Euglena

• Ingest food by
phagocytosis
• Predators,
parasites,
scavengers

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 Plant like protists
• The green lineage
protists are
primary
endosymbionts
– have a primary
plastid ( 2
membranes).

• Pirate protists
– (like euglena &
brown algae)
stole their
plastids (3-4
membranes)

Knox 35.13

biflagellate
Plant like protists Cyanophora

• The green lineage

includes red
(rhodophytes) & green
algae (chlorophytes)

• Photosynthesis occurs in
chloroplasts
• Likely ancestors of
plants
– (share many
similarities: pigments,
storage products, cell
wall compounds)

Red Algae: rhodophytes

• mostly multicellular
seaweeds Coralline red algae e.g. Bossiella
• Warm tropical oceans

Polysiphonia

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 Green algae:
chlorophytes
•Diversity of size,
complexity &
reproduction
•Unicellular, colonial,
multicellular

Ulva

Micrasterias

Volvox

Brown lineage: phaeophytes

Plastid pirates - Acquired plastids from
red algae
Diatoms to Brown algae
• Multicellular seaweeds
• Cooler ocean waters
• Kelps structurally complex & very large

SBM 24-14

Brown lineage

Brown algae
SBM 24-14

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 Water moulds - oomycetes Phytophthora
cinnamoni
• Dieback disease Knox box 35.2

Alveolates - have alveoli

• E.g.
apicomplexans
• Intracellular
parasites of
animals “small
but deadly” SBM 24-7

Stentor

Paramecium

Life cycle of Plasmodium

Alveolates - Apicomplexans • Malaria agent
• parasitic

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Alveolates - Ciliates e.g. Paramecium
• use cilia to move & feed
• macronucleus &
micronucleus

• prey drawn into oral groove

• food vacuole forms around prey &
is digested
• wastes expelled via anal pore
• contractile vacuole expels excess
water

Alveolates - dinoflagellates
Photosynthetic protists
• important producers in aquatic
ecosystems - basis of food webs
• Unicellular with 2 flagella
• cells covered with interlocking plates
• toxic bloooms(red tides)

Trypanosoma
Euglenoids - parasitic flagellate-
sleeping sickness)
unicellular flagellates

•Euglena chloroplasts &

mitochondria & flagella

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 Some protists are important symbionts

• Dinoflagellates and
unicellular green algae
are symbionts of marine
invertebrates
• Green algae form
symbiotic associations
with fungi (lichens)
• photosynthetic
symbionts - contribute
to the food supply of
their hosts

Summary
• Eukaryote structure
• Sexual and asexual life cycles - the importance of
Meiosis
• Evolution of multicellularity
• Diverse modes of locomotion, reproduction & feeding
• Diverse habits and interactions with other organisms
•Photosynthetic protists
key producers in most
aquatic systems
•Green algae ancestors of
plants
•Some cause animal and
plant diseases

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