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Kingdom Protista Two

Learn about the diversity of life.

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19 views11 pages

Kingdom Protista Two

Learn about the diversity of life.

Uploaded by

anonymous
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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KINGDOM PROTISTA

Characteristics of Kingdom Protista

General characteristics of Kingdom Protista are as follows:

•They are simple eukaryotic organisms.


•Most of the organisms are unicellular, and some are multicellular like algae
and slime molds.
•Most of the protists live in water, some in moist soil or even the body of human
and plants.
•These organisms are eukaryotic, since they have a membrane bound nucleus
and endomembrane systems.
•They have mitochondria for cellular respiration and some have chloroplasts for
photosynthesis.

•Movement is often by flagella or cilia.


•Protists are multicellular organisms, they are not a plant, animal or fungus.
•Respiration - cellular respiration is primarily aerobic process, but some living in
mud below ponds or in digestive tracts of animals and are called strict facultative

anaerobes.
•Nutrition - they can be both heterotrophic or autotrophic.
•Flagellates are filter feeding, some protists feed by the process of endocytosis
(formation of food vacuole by engulfing a bacteria and extending their
cell membrane).
•Some protists are pathogens of both animals and plants.

Example: Plasmodium falciparum causes malaria in humans.


Kingdom Protista Classification
Animal-like Protists - PROTOZOANS

➢ Protists that have resemblance to animals are known as protozoans.


➢ They in moist and watery environments.
➢ The characteristics similar to animals are - their ability to move and
➢ their inability to produce their own food (heterotrophs).
➢ They differ from animals being unicellular while animals are multicellular.
➢ Sacordinians - move using pseudopod.
➢ Zooflagellates - move using flagella.
➢ Ciliaphorans - move using cilia.
Phylum Sarcodina

➢ The movement in Sarcodinas is by extending lobes of cytoplasm known as


pseudopodia.
➢ The pseudopodia is used for movement and feeding.
➢ During the formation of the pseudopodia the cytoplasm streams into the lobe
causing the lobe to grow. Example: Amoeba
Phylum Mastigophora (Zooflagellata) –

➢ These protozoans move with the help of flagella.


➢ Most of them are parasitic.
➢ Many flagellates are seen in the intestine of humans, in termites and other animals
➢ Some flagellates are harmful.
Example: Trypanosoma gambiense causes sleeping sickness in cattle and human.
Phylum Ciliophora (Ciliates) –

➢ Protozoans of this phylum move with hair like structures called cilia.
➢ The cilia stick out of their cells.
➢ The cilia is also used to sweep food particles into the organism.

Example: Paramecium - It is a ciliate protozoan found in fresh water and ponds.


Plant-like Protists - ALGAE

➢ Plant-like protists have chlorophyll like that in plants.


➢ They produce and release oxygen like the plants.
➢ The plant-like protists are the major food source and
primary producers
for water organisms.

Phylum Chlorophyta (Green Algae)

➢ The green algae include unicellular and multicellular algae.


➢ They are mostly fresh water. Body is sheet-like thallus.
➢ They have cell walls made of cellulose and pectin.

Example: Spirogyra - it is a unicellular green alga, it grows


as a green thread or filament.
Fungus-like Protists

For example: Slime Molds

➢ Slime molds are saprophytic protists.


➢ They are very bright in appearance.
➢ They live in moist soil, decaying plants and trees.
Economic Importance of Protists

➢ Protists are useful in the following manners:

➢ Source of food - Some protists like kelps are edible.

➢ Source of commercial products - Marine protists are source of useful substances


like agar

➢ Source of medicines - production of anti-cancer compounds.

Ecological Importance of Protists

➢ Primary producer of aquatic ecosystem - Many protists are primary producers,


they play a basic role in food chains, providing food and oxygen.

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