PROTOZOA Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotes (organisms whose cells have nuclei) that commonly show characteristics usually associated with animals, most notably mobility and heterotrophy. They are often grouped in the kingdom Protista together with the plant-like algae and fungus-like water molds and slime molds. In some newer schemes, however, most algae are classified in the kingdoms Plantae and Chromista, and in such cases the remaining forms may be classified as a kingdom Protozoa. The name is misleading, since they are not animals (with the possible exception of the Myxozoa). Protozoa have traditionally been divided on the basis of locomotion. Most protozoans are too small to be seen with the naked eye - most are around 0.01-0.05 mm, although forms up to 0.5 mm are still fairly common - but can easily be found under a microscope.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PROTOZOA Protozoa commonly range in length between 10 to 52 micrometers, but can grow as large as 1 mm. They are easily seen with a microscope. The largest protozoa are known as deep-sea dwelling xenophyophores, which can grow up to 20 cm in diameter. They were formerly considered to be part of the protista family. Protozoa exist throughout aqueous environments and soil, occupying a range of trophic levels. They are eukaryotic unicellular and aquatic organisms that can be flagellates (motile with flagella), ciliates (motile with cilia), and amoebas (motile by means of pseudopodia). Flagellates are the most numerous soil protozoa. Motility and digestion Tulodens are 2 of the slow-moving form of protozoa. They move around with whip-like tails called flagella (5-10m long), hair-like structures called cilia(20- 30 m long), or foot-like structures called pseudopodia (2m thick by 20 m). Others do not move at all. Protozoa may absorb food via their cell membranes, some, e.g., amoebas, surround food and engulf it, and yet others have openings or "mouth pores" into which they sweep food,and that engulfing of food is said to bephagocytosis. All protozoa digest their food in stomach-like compartments called vacuoles. Pellicle The pellicle is a thin layer supporting the cell membrane in various protozoa, protecting them and allowing them to retain their shape, especially during locomotion, allowing the organism to be more hydrodynamic. They vary from flexible and elastic to rigid. Although somewhat stiff, the pellicle is also flexible and allows the protistto fit into tighter spaces. In ciliates and Apicomplexa, it is formed from closely packed vesicles called alveoli. In euglenids, it is formed from protein strips arranged spirally along the length of the body. Examples of protists with a pellicle are the euglenoids and the paramecium, a ciliate. In some protozoa, the pellicle consists of many bacteria that adhere to the surface by their fimbriae or "attachment pili". Thus, attachment pili allow the organisms to remain in the broth, from which they take nutrients, while they congregate near air, where the oxygen concentration is greatest.
CLASSIFICATION OF PROTOZOA
Protozoa were previously often grouped in the kingdom of Protista, together with the plant-like algae and fungus-like slime molds. As a result of 21st- centurysystematics, protozoa, along with ciliates, mastigophorans, and apicomplexans, are arranged as animal-like protists. Protozoa are unicellular organisms and are often called the animal-like protists because they subsist entirely on other organisms for food. Most protozoa can move about on their own. Amoebas, paramecia, andtrypanosomes are all examples of animal-like protists.
Sub-groups The classification of protozoa has been and remains a problematic area of taxonomy. Where they are available, DNA sequences are used as the basis for classification but for the majority of described protozoa such material is not available. They have been and still are mostly on the basis of their morphology and for the parasitic species their hosts. Protozoa have been divided traditionally on the basis of their means of locomotion. Flagellates (e.g., Giardia lamblia) Amoeboids (e.g., Entamoeba histolytica) Sporozoans (e.g., Plasmodium knowlesi) Apicomplexa (now in Alveolata) Microsporidia (now in Fungi) Ascetosporea (now in Rhizaria) Myxosporidia (now in Cnidaria) Ciliates (e.g., Balantidium coli) As a phylum the Protozoa had been divided into four subphyla reflecting the means of locomotion: Subphylum Sarcomastigophora Superclass Mastigophora (includes flagellates) Superclass Sarcodina Superclass Opalinata Subphylum Sporozoa (includes apicomplexans) Class Microsporidea Subphylum Ciliophora (includes ciliates) DIGESTION SYSTEM OF PROTOZOA Some protozoans have complex digestive systems and feed on large food particles, such as other microorganisms. The food is digested by means of enzymes and the wastes transported to the cell surface or stored in vacuoles (bubblelike spaces in the cytoplasm). Others have no digestive system and absorb dissolved organic matter through the cell membrane. RESPIRATION SYSTEM OF PROTOZOA Respiration is accomplished by the diffusion of dissolved gases through the cell membrane. Oxygen diffuses into the cell, where it oxidizes food molecules, producing energy and the organic molecules used for the building and maintenance of the cell. Carbon dioxide and water, the waste products of this oxidation, diffuse out of the cell.
EXCRETION OF PROTOZOA Some protozoan animals possess an organelle having the form of an internal sac, or vacuole, which enlarges by the accumulation of a clear fluid and then discharges its contents to the exterior. The cycle of filling and emptying may be repeated as frequently as every half minute. The chief role of the contractile vacuole appears to be in osmotic regulation, not in nitrogen excretion. Contractile vacuoles occur more frequently and are more active in freshwater species than in closely related marine species. In fresh water, the concentration of dissolved substances in the cell is greater than in the external medium, and the cell takes in water by osmosis. If the contractile vacuole is put out of action, the cell increases in volume. If the concentration of salts in the medium increaseswhich would have the effect of decreasing the rate of osmosisthe rate of output by the contractile vacuole diminishes. The fluid eliminated by the vacuole is more dilute than the cytoplasm.
LIFE CYCLE OF PROTOZOA Some protozoa have life stages alternating between proliferative stages (e.g., trophozoites) and dormant cysts. As cysts, protozoa can survive harsh conditions, such as exposure to extreme temperatures or harmful chemicals, or long periods without access to nutrients, water, or oxygen for a period of time. Being a cyst enables parasitic species to survive outside of a host, and allows their transmission from one host to another. When protozoa are in the form of trophozoites (Greek, tropho = to nourish), they actively feed. The conversion of a trophozoite to cyst form is known as encystation, while the process of transforming back into a trophozoite is known as excystation. Protozoa can reproduce by binary fission or multiple fission. Some protozoa reproduce sexually, some asexually, while some use a combination, (e.g., Coccidia). An individual protozoan is hermaphroditic.
REPRODUCTION OF PROTOZOA Reproduction is usually asexual, occurring mostly by cell division, or binary fission; some forms reproduce asexually by budding or by the formation of spores (reproductive cells that give rise to a new organism without fertilization). In certain groups sexual reproduction sometimes also occurs. In these instances, cell division is preceded by the fusion of two individuals or, in ciliates, by conjugation and exchange of nuclear material.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PROTOZOA - USEFUL PROTOZOA Protozoa are found almost everywhere, in water, in moist surface of the soil, in air and even within the bodies of other animals and plants. They exert far more influence on the worldly affairs. They are harmful as well as useful species. Useful Protozoa Helpful in sanitation: Numerous biologic protozoa feed on putrefying bacteria in various bodies of water and thus help indirectly in purification of water. These Protozoa play an n important part in the sanitary betterment and improvement of water and keeping water safe for drinking purposes. Planktonic Protozoa as food: Protozoa floating on the plankton of sea provide directly or indirectly the source of food supplies to man, fish and other animals. They form one of the first links in the numerous and complicated food chains that exist in the oceans of the world. Clams and young fish feed extensively on aquatic larvae, small crustaceans, worms, etc. all of which take Protozoa as food. Thus Protozoa indirectly form food of fish, clams and other animals, which in their turn are consumed by man. Symbiotic Protozoa: Some Protozoan are found in symbiotic relationship with other organisms. This association is beneficial to both the partners. The two partners become so dependent on each other and their separation results in the death of both. Several intestinal Protozoan flagellates of termites and woodroaches are extremely vital for the very existence of their hosts. They digest cellulose into soluble glycogen substance for their hosts as well as for themselves. Oceanic ooze and fossil Protozoa: the tiny skeletons of dead pelagic Foraminiferida, Radiolaria and Heliozoa sink to the sea bottom forming the soft mud or oceanic ooze. These tiny skeletons are made up of silica or calcium carbonate and over the years, deposited on the floor of the ocean, became solid and fossilized and converted into some important sedimentary rock strata found all over the world. These have been put to various commercial uses such as filtering agents, abrasives, chalk, building stones etc. Protozoa in study: They are studied in the laboratories for the comprehension and application of biological principles. Due to their minute size and quick reproduction, they are studied by geneticists for heredity and variations. They are progenitors of metazoans so their study helps in understanding the probable beginning of organic matter and the origin and evolution of life. The study of physiology of Protozoa also contributed to know about the physiology of cell.