Kingdom Protista

unicellular (some are colonial - eg. Volvox) eukaryote rather than spreading and taking over like bacteria, protists grow in clusters has no organs or tissues range in length from 2 - 1000 m protista are divided up into 2 main categories: zooplankton: animal-like protists that must capture food phytoplankton: plant-like protists that produce their own food Zooplankton categorized by how they move 1. Phylum Sarcodina amoeboids: change shape, move by pseudopods (fake feet also known as cytoplasmic extension) 2. Phylum Ciliophora have hundreds of cilia which sweep in one direction (eg. paramecium) 3. Phylum Zooflagellates (a.k.a. Zoomastigina) 1 or 2 flagella for movement (eg. trypanosoma) 4. Phylum Sporozoa non-motile parasites (eg. Plasmodium vivax causes malaria uses mosquitoes to move around the environment) Phytoplankton all phytoplankton have chloroplasts and do photosynthesis, but they are not believed to be the ancestors of land plants - all land plants have chlorophyll a and b; these protists are different 1. Phylum Euglenophyta (below) one of the few cells that have a flexible cell wall has a flagella and a photoreceptor/eyespot (light sensor) moves towards light, in the direction of the flagella pseudopods

sticky

(photoreceptor)

direction of movement

2. 3.

Phylum Pyrrophyta (Dinoflagellates) - fire plankton two flagella cause it to spin like a top as it moves through the water very important in the food chain associated with toxic red tides when they bloom the toxins made to protect nutrients can accumulate in shellfish if eaten, the toxins affect the nervous system and paralyze humans Phylum Chrysophyta (a.k.a. diatoms - two parts) - crystal photosynthetic an exoskeleton made of silica recycle sewage usually golden-brown colour because of pigments other than chlorophyll More Protist Adaptations

protists have many adaptations which allow them to live in water environments algae have air sacs which allow them to control their depth nutrients are found lower in the water, but sunlight (for energy) is found at the top in fresh water, cells have contractile vacuoles (bailing bucket) to remove excess water to move nutrients around the cell, proteins are used; this is called cyclosis Reproduction

like most monerans, reproduction is done by binary fission occasionally structures like pili (singular: pilus) are formed for genetic exchange transformation and transduction rarely occur protists mostly do decomposition and occasionally are parasites Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells Prokaryotes no nucleus always unicellular smaller cells (1 - 10 m) no membrane-bound organelles small ribosomes cell division by binary fission only asexual reproduction Eukaryotes nucleus mostly multicellular, except for Protists larger cells (2 - 1000 m) many membrane-bound organelles large ribosomes cell division by mitosis or meiosis both asexual and sexual reproduction

Endosymbiotic Theory explains how the first eukaryotic cells evolved: smaller prokaryotic cells were engulfed by (or invaded) larger prokaryotic cells small cells (endosymbionts) benefited by getting a safe home and nutrients from the host large cells (hosts) benefited by getting some of the organic molecules or energy released by the endosymbionts eventually, they were unable to live without each other, and the endosymbionts evolved into organelles of the host cells

evidence for the Endosymbiotic Theory: Organelles have their own membranes, which are different from the eukaryote have their own circular DNA (similar to bacteria) have prokaryotic ribosomes control their own replication