Protists

Is a kingdom Contains over 6,000 species Have many features like those of plants, animals or fungi. Are single-celled Have organelles inside their cell.

Algae
Plant-like protist are known as algae Use sunlight to make food Most are aquatic Important in 3 ways:
1. Produce nearly half the worlds carbohydrates 2. Provide food for other organisms 3. Release oxygen as they make food- about half the worlds oxygen that enters the atmosphere comes from algae.

Euglena
Euglena is a type of protist Has chloroplasts. Live in freshwater and moves with a long, whiplike tail called a flagellum.

Has unique characteristics of both a plant and a animal Contains chloroplasts that photosynthesize Can consume other organisms as well.

Diatoms
Diatoms are other kinds of protist Found in freshwater and in the ocean. Have hard shells that contain silica. As diatoms die, their shells build up in deposits at the bottom of lakes and sea. These deposits are mined to make metal polish and soaps.

Seaweed
Is many celled. Also called sea lettuce. Giant seaweed is called kelp- is harvested and used to thicken foods.

Kelp

Protozoans
Animal like protist Protozoan means first animal Live in water, on land or inside other organisms. Cannot make their own food- eat bacteria or other protists or dead organisms. Divided into 4 groups based on how they move

Amoebas
Move by pushing out parts of the of their cell called a pseudopod, means false foot. Amoebas change their shape Use pseudoposd to surround and trap other protists. Live on rocks and on plants in ponds.

Paramecium
Move with short, hairlike structures known as cilia. Cilia moves like oars. When they move back, the paramecium moves forward. Often found in ponds.

Flegella
Flegella- push or pull the protozoan Example is Giardia lamblia- is a parasite in the intestines of animals. Get from water that contains waste from infected animals. Causes tiredness, weight loss, but not usually fatal. Ex. Sleeping sickness is more serious caused by trypanosomes- a protozoan that is a parasite and lives in blood. Spread by the bite of tsetse flies which only live in Africa.

No means of moving
Protozoans that reproduce by forming spores. Called sporozonas. a protozoan that is a parasite and lives in blood, may cause malaria All sporozonas are parasites Live in the blood of their host

Malaria
Sporozoan Plasmodium causes malaria. Mosquitoes spread malaria when they draw blood from an infected person. The sporozoan enters the mosquito and reproduces. The mosquito transfers the sporozoans when it bites another person. Malaria can be deadly and it affects billion people every year. It kills 1 3 million a year.

Protists
Carry out all of the basic life activities. Most are single-celled, but not simple Cells must perform the duties of tissues and organs in a plant or an animal.

Getting and Digesting Food

Algae makes their own food Protozoans do not Euglena does both Amoebas trap other protists Paramecia use their cilia to sweep food particles over their surface.
The food moves into an opening called the gullet on the parameciums side. The gullet is like the mouth of an animal

Dinner time for an Amoeba

Paramecium eating
1. Enters gullet 2. The gullet encloses the food within a bubble like structure called a food vacuole 3. Small packets of food travel all through the paramecium and chemicals in the food vacuole break down the food. 4. The food leaves the food vacuole to be used by the paramecium. 5. Food that is not digested leaves the paramecium through an opening called the anal pore. Amoebas and other protozoan's also digest food inside the food vacuoles.

Paramecium

Maintaining Water Balance

Most protist live in a watery environment Water moves easily through the cell membrane which causes a problem Think of a dry sponge. What happens to the sponge as it gets wet? This is what happens to protists if they can not control the water intake

Osmosis
The water molecules outside the protists are more concentrated and the chemical molecules and water inside the protists are not as concentrated. This difference in concentration causes water to move into the protist from the outside. Osmosis is the movement of water through a cell membrane.

Passive Transport
Water molecules move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. This is a type of passive transport, or movement, that doesnt use cellular energy.

Cells burst
Too much water causes a protist to burst like a water balloon. To avoid bursting, protists release water that is not needed. Structures called contractible vacuoles collect water. They contract or pull together to squeeze the water out of the protist. Contractile vacuoles carry out the same functions as your kidneys when you drink too much water.

Sensing and Reacting

All organisms must be able to sense and react to signals in their environment. Many protists have an eyespot, which can sense changes in the brightness of light. Eyespots allow algae to move to areas where the light is brighter. With brighter light they can make food more quickly.

Sensing and Reacting

Protozoans can sense food in their environment and move toward it. Protozoans can sense harmful chemicals and move away from it. Can move away from objects in its way. Parameciums that bump into an object, reverse by using their cilia.

Reproduction
Single-celled protist reproduce by dividing into 2 cells. The result is 2 protists that look the same as the original cell and is an example of asexual reproduction. Some reproduce in pairs. Each member of the pair gives some hereditary material to the offspring. The offspring is different from either parent. This is an example of sexual reproduction.

Asexual reproduction