The Miscellaneous Category Kingdom Protista The Miscellaneous Category

Protists: A varied kingdom with 11 phyla that have little in common! Incredible biodiversity  occupying almost every niche and habitat! Animal like (4) Paramecium Plant like (6) volvox Protists Fungi like (1) Hartmanella vermiformis Protozoan

Features Most are unicellular. Some form colonies of identical cells. A few are multi-cellular but don’t form tissue (algae) Cells are eukaryotic – membrane- bound nucleus, most have vacuoles & mitochondria, some have chloroplasts. Cell reproduce asexually through binary fission. Some exchange DNA via conjugation Cells thrive in moist environments (fresh or salt water, animal fluids & very damp terrestrial environment)

Structure (Figure 2, Pg. 128) eyespot Mitochondrion

Plant-Like Protists Spirogyra diatoms Polysiphonia Red Algae Contain chlorophyll  can photosynthesize (autotrophs) But… during dark periods, can engulf nutrients from their environment (heterotrophs) Most have 2 flagella for locomotion Examples: species of green, brown and red algae

Animal-Like Protists Amoeba proteus All are heterotrophs  can gather nutrients by engulfing their food or by absorbing it through their membranes Classified by type of locomotion (cilia and flagella) Reproduce by binary fission Examples: Amoeba (feed by phagocytosis Paramecium (feeds via an oral groove) Arcella, a common shelled amoeba  Paramecium

Importance of Protists: Provide the critical base to most food webs Algae Primary food producers in aquatic food chains Provide 80% of the world’s oxygen Used by humans as food, fertilizers, drugs, cosmetics, etc…

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