1. The World of Protists

2. What are Protists?
Any organism that is NOT a plant, animal, fungus, or prokaryote (bacteria)
All eukaryotes
Most unicellular, some multicellular
Range in size from a microscopic amoeba to giant seaweed

3. Where are Protists found?
fresh water
salt water
inside organisms

4. Classified by the way they obtain nutrition.
Animal-likeheterotrophs
AKAprotozoans
Plant-likeautotrophs
Fungus-likeexternal digestion

5. 1. Characteristics of Protozoans
Heterotrophs
Unicellular
Classified by the way they move
Ex: pseudopods, flagella, cilia, parasitic

6. Examples of Animal-like Protists that cause disease
Entamoeba
Trypanosome
Giardia
Plasmodium

7. Causes Amebic dysentery: parasitic disease of large intestine
Protist: Entamoeba
Causes Amebic dysentery: parasitic disease of large intestine
Cause: contaminated food or water
Symptoms: severe diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, sometimes death
Found: Worldwide, higher incidences in developing countries

8. Causes African sleeping sickness:
Protist: Trypanosome
Causes African sleeping sickness:
parasitic disease of the blood & spinal fluid
Cause: infected tsetse fly
Symptoms: uncontrollable sleepiness, high fever, & sometimes death
Found: regions of Africa

9. Causes Giardiasis: Parasitic intestinal disease
Protist: Giardia
Causes Giardiasis: Parasitic intestinal disease
Cause: contaminated food or water
Symptoms: fatigue, diarrhea, and cramping
Found: worldwide, in warm climates

10. Causes Malaria: parasitic disease in red blood cells
Protist: Plasmodium
Causes Malaria: parasitic disease in red blood cells
Cause: infected female Anopheles mosquito
Symptoms: flu-like chills & fever
No vaccine exists, yet
Found: Tropic zones worldwide

11. Ecological Role of Animal-like Protists
Play essential roles in living world
Live symbiotically w/other organisms ex. Trichonympha live inside termites help digest wood
Recycle nutrients
Food source for larger sea animals

12. 2. Plant-like protists AKA algae or plankton
Photoautotrophs
Contain chlorophyll - but no roots, stems, or leaves
Multi- or unicellular

13. Dinoflagellate
Euglena
Diatom
Red algae
Green algae

14. Ecological Role of Plant-like Protists
Produce 70% of Earth’s oxygen
1st link in ocean’s food chain
Algal Blooms – recycle sewage & other wastes
Human uses of algae - sushi wraps, agar plates, ice cream, salad dressing, medicines, paints, polishes

15. 3. Fungus-like Protists Heterotrophs Decompose dead organisms
External digestion, then absorb nutrients
Downy mildew on soybeans
Slime mold

16. Ecological Role of Fungus-like Protists
Recyclers of organic material
Cause mildew and blight in grapes & tomatoes