Kingdom Protista

Copyright Amy Brown Science

 Diatoms are unicellular algae
that have….
…. a unique glass-like wall made
of silica.
The wall consists of two parts that
overlap like a shoebox and its lid.
The walls are able to withstand
great pressure and offer protection
from the crushing jaws of
predators.
 Most reproduce by binary fission.
Sexual reproduction is not common.

There are over 100,000

different species.
 They are an essential source
of nutrition for microscopic
heterotrophs such as protists
and invertebrates.
As producers, they release an
abundance of oxygen into
They are the major the atmosphere.
component of
phytoplankton,
making them very
important producers
in both freshwater and
salt water ecosystems.
 DINOFLAGELLATES
The dinoflagellates are
characterized by cells that
are…
….reinforced by cellulose
plates.

They have two flagella

that make them spin in
the water as they
move.
 Dinoflagellates are abundant components of both
marine and freshwater plankton, forming the basis
of the food chain.

Many are photosynthetic.

Others are…
…mixotrophs or
heterotrophs.
Some dinoflagellates bloom in
the ocean and create red tides.
They have an abundance of
carotenoids turning the water
a reddish color.
They produce toxins which can
kill fish and invertebrates in the
area.

Some species can produce

bioluminescence, a display of light that
can be seen at night.
 The
Euglena
Euglenoids are
flagellated, unicellular
algae that exhibit…
…both plant-like and
animal-like
characteristics.
A euglenoid has a pocket at one end
of the cell from which…
….one or two flagella emerge.

A familiar euglenoid is Euglena. Euglena are __________.

mixotrophs
autotrophic but when sunlight is
In sunlight they are __________,
heterotrophic absorbing
unavailable, they can become ____________,
nutrients from their environment.
 Label the
structures of
the Euglena:
1 – Cell membrane
2 – Pellicle
3 – Flagella
4 – Contractile
vacuole
5 – Nucleus
6 – Chloroplast
7 – Eyespot
 Euglena have both plant and animal
characteristics:

Animal – like Characteristics: Plant – like Characteristics:

a) They are highly a) They have

motile and move chloroplasts and
with a flagella. carry out
b) They can take in photosynthesis.
food through the
cell membrane.
c) There is no cell wall.
The eyespot is red and is
sensitive to light.
Euglena seek out bright
areas.
The cell is also sensitive
to touch, heat and
chemicals.
 Pellicle:
Transparent
protein bands
beneath the
plasma
membrane that
provide strength
and flexibility.
There is no cell wall.
 Contractile vacuoles
help to rid the cell of
excess water.

They swell with water and

contract when full to send
the water out of the cell.
Euglena reproduce
asexually only by:
binary fission.
THE ANIMAL-LIKE PROTISTS:
THE PROTOZOANS
 Protozoa means
"first animals". They perform all the processes of
multicellular organisms such as
digestion, excretion, and
respiration except that in the
protozoa all processes take place
inside a single cell.

Protozoans are:
one-celled organisms
that have the ability to
move.
Most are heterotrophic and obtain their nutrients by ingesting small
molecules or cells.
These particles are digested inside food vacuoles.
A food vacuole is….
….a membrane-bound sac that contains digestive enzymes.
They may live in ponds, streams, oceans, mud, soil, in or on certain plants
and animals.
Some species live as parasites inside the body cavity of certain worms,
termites, and humans.
They make up zooplankton
and form the basis of the food
chain in aquatic
environments.

They can cause diseases such

as….
….malaria, African sleeping
sickness, and dysentery.

All are capable of asexual

reproduction, usually by
binary fission.
A few species can reproduce
sexually by conjugation.
The protozoa are generally classified into four groups based on
their method of movement.
Methods of movement include:

Pseudopodi Cilia
a (Ciliates)
(Sarcodines)

No
Flagella movement
(Flagellates) (Sporozoans
)
 This group includes
hundreds of species of
The ameba is a amoebas.
shapeless mass of
protoplasm surrounded
by a plasma membrane.
The ameba moves by
pseudopodia or "false
feet".
A pseudopod starts as a
bulge and enlarges as the
cytoplasm flows into it.
The oxygen necessary for
life diffuses through the cell
membrane from the water.
Wastes pass out in the
same way.

Water enters the ameba by osmosis.

If the ameba did not have a way of
getting rid of the excess water, it would
burst.
Contractile vacuole:
When this vacuole fills up with water, it
contracts and expels the excess water.
 Food Getting
and Digestion
Amoebae eat…
…algae or other
protozoans.

The particle of food is surrounded by the pseudopodia and

engulfed into the cell by phagocytosis.
The food is digested by enzymes in the food vacuole.
The digested food is absorbed by the cytoplasm and used as a
source of energy.
The wastes are excreted through the cell membrane.
Reproduction
They reproduce:
asexually by simple cell
division.

They reproduce:
sexually by
conjugation
 Diseases caused by Sarcodines:
Many people become infected
with a species of Entamoeba
which causes the disease
known as amebic dysentery.

These amoebae live in the

intestine where they absorb
food from the host.
The host may experience
severe diarrhea and bleeding
from damage caused to the
intestinal wall.
 Ciliates are a large, varied
group of protists named for
their use of cilia to move and
feed.

me c iu m
e Para
te s: T h
Cil i a
Cilia are….
….short, hair like projections
that line the cell membrane.
The cilia beat in synchronized
waves across the surface of
the cell.
 Label the
structures of the
Paramecium:

1 – Contractile vacuole
2 – Oral groove
3 – Mouth
4 – Gullet
5 – Food vacuole
6 – Anal pore
7 – Micronucleus
8 – Macronucleus
9 – Cilia
10 – Trichocyst
 The Paramecium has a
definite shape and size. It
does not change shape like
the ameba.
The Paramecium has two nuclei:
a) Macronucleus:
This is the large nucleus.
This nucleus regulates
The paramecium moves nutrition and activities of the
with cilia, which are cell.
hair like structures b) Micronucleus:
arranged in rows. They This is the small nucleus.
beat back and forth to This nucleus functions only
cause movement. during reproduction.
 The paramecium has the pellicle
under the cell membrane.
A pellicle consists of…
… bands of protein that provide
support to the cell membrane.
Food Getting:
a) The oral groove is lined with cilia,
which force food particles into the
mouth.
b) The mouth opens into the gullet.
c) When the end of the gullet becomes
Oxygen enters
full, it breaks off and becomes a
food vacuole where the food is through the cell
digested. membrane by
d) The wastes pass out of the cell diffusion.
through the anal pore.
 Sensitivity
a) The paramecium has no specialized sense
organs, but they are sensitive to touch,
heat, chemicals, and light.
b) Except when feeding, they swim
constantly.
When they bump into something, they
reverse, and swim off in another direction.
This kind of trial and error response is
called the “avoiding reaction”.
Trichocysts are found just under the
cell membrane.
Trichocysts are used for defense.
When a paramecium is confronted
by danger, the trichocysts release
stiff projections that protect the cell.
Reproduction

Asexual by binary
fission.
Sexual by conjugation.
Two paramecia exchange micronuclei, and then continue to
divide by fission.
They have exchanged genetic information.
 The Flagellates

The 2500 species found in this group are

characterized by the presence of one or
more flagella.
Flagella are….
…. long, hair like structures that whip
back and forth propelling the cell
through the water.
This group contains some of the most
primitive of the protozoa.
The Trypanosomes are flagellates
that cause African sleeping sickness.

Trypanosomes are found in the

blood of jungle animals and are
transmitted to man by the bite
of the tsetse fly.

Early symptoms are

headache and fever.
Advanced symptoms are
coma and death.
 Trypanosomes evade the host immune
system with a “bait and switch” tactic.
The surface of the trypanosome is
coated with millions of copies of a
single protein.

Just as the host immune

system learns to recognize
this pathogen and launch
an attack, new generations
of the trypanosome switch
These frequent changes in the
to another surface protein
surface protein prevent the
with a different molecular
structure. host from developing
immunity.
 The Sporozoans
Characteristics include:
1. No method of movement.
2. Reproduce asexually by
spores.
3. Always are parasitic.
4. They live by absorbing food
Found in the bloodstream
from the cells of the host.
5. Cause malaria in man.
6. Requires two hosts: man
and the Anopheles
mosquito.
Both the Plasmodium and the
Anopheles mosquito have
become resistant to drugs and
pesticides.

In recent years there has been

a resurgence of malaria, killing
2 million people a year.
 THE FUNGUS-
LIKE PROTISTS:
THE SLIME
MOLDS AND THE
WATER MOLDS
These organisms have unique
life cycles that set them apart
from the algae, the protozoa,
and the fungi.
They are….
…eukaryotic, multicellular,
heterotrophic organisms with Water Mold
very little tissue specialization.

The fungus-like protists

include the:
slime molds and the water
Slime Mold molds.
 SLIME

MOLDS
Slime molds are
typically found
growing on damp
soil, rotting logs,
or decaying
leaves.

They appear as glistening

masses of slime that may
be white, red or yellow.
They spend part of their life in a mobile, amoeba-
like feeding form, engulfing organic materials, and
part of their life in a stationary reproductive stage.

The slime molds play a key role in the recycling

of organic material.
 A water mold is a
fungus-like organism

Water Molds
composed of
branching filaments
of cells.

Most water molds are

aquatic, but some live in the
soil, and others are parasitic.

Water molds are sometimes

seen as the white fuzz on
diseased aquarium fish.