Protists: Amoebas, Cellular Slime Molds, Chytrids, Ciliates, and Diatoms The Zach Haltvick

Protists Unicellular May live in colonies Have no distinct characteristics of plants, animals, or fungi Many used to be classified as plants, animals, or fungi May live in colonies Move around by waving tiny hairs Energy Absorption from surrounding area Predation of plants or animals Photosynthesis

Amoebas Pond Water Has no permanent shape Reproduction Body is constantly changing Trap food particles Cell parts become fluid and form feet around little bits of food Once the food is surrounded by the feet, the amoeba encloses itself around the food Eat protozoans and tiny animals Reproduction Simply divide in two

Cellular Slime Molds Spend most of their lives as individual cells, but…… Release chemical signal Cells come together into big swarms Resembles a slug Crawls around ingesting food until it finds a warm, sunny location Reproduction Two haploids fuse Engulf neighboring slime molds Forms a single organism: a macrocyst Undergoes meiosis and mitosis Releases new, haploid individuals

Chytrids Live mostly in freshwater, but Feed on decaying matter Can be found in soil and saltwater Feed on decaying matter Can also be parasites to: Algae Fungi Plants Microscopic animals Reproduction Asexually Form spores Spores swim around, and develop when they stop moving

Ciliates Live in all environments of water Covered with short, dense hairs Use to move through the water and trap food Eat bacteria and other single-celled organisms Some by a “mouth” Some by absorption Asexual reproduction Micronucleus undergoes mitosis Splits in half

Diatoms Freshwater, saltwater, moist soil, or moist surface of plants. All are enclosed in a shell made of silica The diatom secretes the silica Usually live singly, but can exist in colonies Reproduce asexually Cell division

Life Cycle Life Cycle of a Cellular Slime Mold Begins with a haploid spore Produced by meiosis Germinated spores become either a myxamoeba cell or a flagellated swarm cell Two cells fuse together in cellular fusion, then nuclear fusion The result is a diploid zygote Transforms into a developing plasmodium Diploid nuclei divide = plasmodium gets bigger

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