Protista and Algae – Vocabulary Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering Protista characteristics, gamete types, protist life cycles, ecological roles, major algal groups, and economically important features from the notes.

Protista

A eukaryotic group consisting of organisms that do not have features identifiable with Fungi, Plants, or Animals; highly diverse in morphology and lifestyle.

Isogamy

Gametes are similar in size and motile.

Anisogamy

Gametes are flagellated and motile, but one is larger than the other.

Oogamy

One gamete is nonmotile and larger (female) while the other is motile and smaller.

Zygotic life cycle

A life cycle in which the zygote is the only diploid stage and undergoes meiosis to produce haploid offspring.

Gametic life cycle

A life cycle in which the gametes are the only haploid stage and fertilization forms a diploid zygote that undergoes meiosis to produce haploid gametes.

Sporic life cycle

Alternation of generations with both haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) multicellular stages.

Autotrophic

Organisms that produce their own food via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis; typical of many protists.

Heterotrophic

Organisms that obtain carbon from organic compounds, not via photosynthesis; examples include some slime and water molds.

Plankton

Microscopic organisms that drift in bodies of water; includes phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Phytoplankton

Photosynthetic plankton; primary producers in aquatic ecosystems.

Zooplankton

Non-photosynthetic animals within the water column; consumers in aquatic ecosystems.

Bacterioplankton

Bacteria that drift in the water column and contribute to primary production and nutrient cycling.

Primary producers

Organisms that synthesize organic compounds from inorganic sources, forming the base of the food chain.

Carbon sequestration

Process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon, often via photosynthesis in phytoplankton and algae.

Biofuels

Fuels produced from biological materials, such as algae and other protists.

Paraphyly

A group that includes an ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants; not a natural monophyletic group.

Monophyly

A natural group that includes an ancestor and all of its descendants.

Euglenophyta

Phylum of euglenoids; mostly single-celled protists with diverse nutritional modes.

Euglena

A commonly studied genus of Euglenophyta; spindle-shaped cells lacking a rigid cell wall and possessing a pellicle.

Pellicle

A flexible, striated layer just beneath the plasma membrane that allows Euglena to change shape.

Paramylon

A storage polysaccharide unique to some Euglenoids, stored as granules.

Pyrenoid

Protein-rich region on chloroplasts where enzymes for carbon fixation are produced.

Eyespot (stigma)

Light-detecting organelle in Euglena that helps orient toward light.

Contractile vacuole

A vacuole that expels excess water from the cell.

Flagellum

A whip-like appendage used for locomotion; Euglena typically has a long flagellum and a second shorter one.

Dinoflagellata

Phylum of dinoflagellates; mostly unicellular, biflagellated organisms often with a theca (cellulose plates).

Theca

Armor plates under the plasma membrane that cover many dinoflagellates.

Zooxanthellae

Pigmented dinoflagellates that live symbiotically in corals and other marine animals, contributing to photosynthesis.

Red tides

Blooms of dinoflagellates that can color seawater red and produce potent neurotoxins.

Bioluminescence

Production of light by organisms; many dinoflagellates emit flashes when disturbed.

Stramenopila

A major lineage of eukaryotes including diatoms, golden algae, brown algae, and water molds; also known as heterokonts.

Heterokonts

Group within Stramenopila characterized by two distinctively different flagella in many members.

Bacillariophyceae

Class of diatoms; unicellular or colonial with silica frustules.

Frustule

Diatom cell wall made of two silica halves that fit together.

Pennate

Diatoms with bilateral symmetry.

Centric

Diatoms with radial symmetry.

Fucoxanthin

Brown pigment in diatoms giving their golden-brown color to chloroplasts.

Chrysolaminarin

Storage carbohydrate in golden algae and diatoms.

Auxospore

Resting spore formed during diatom sexual reproduction that helps restore size after successive asexual reductions.

Oogonium

Female gamete-producing structure in Oomycetes and some algae.

Antheridium

Male gamete-producing structure in Oomycetes and some algae.

Zoospore

Motile asexual spore in some fungi and algae, including Oomycetes.

Oospores

Thick-walled diploid resting spores formed after oogamous sexual reproduction.

Coenocytic

Multinucleate cell without cross-walls, typical of some Xanthophyceae and related organisms.

Oomycetes

Water molds; historically called fungi; cellulose cell walls; aquatic or moist habitats; includes plant pathogens.

Phytophthora infestans

Oomycete causing late blight of potatoes; linked to the Irish Potato Famine.

Plasmopara viticola

Oomycete causing grapevine downy mildew.

Phytophthora ramorum

Oomycete causing 'sudden oak death' and affecting rhododendrons.

Holdfast

Root-like structure that anchors brown algae to substrates.

Stipe

Stem-like structure in brown algae linking holdfast to blades.

Blades

Leaf-like photosynthetic parts of brown algae.

Bladders

Gas-filled floats in some brown algae that aid buoyancy.

Algin (alginate)

Gel-forming polysaccharide from brown algae used to stabilize and emulsify foods and in industry.

Sieve tubes

Tubular plant-like cells in brown algae that transport nutrients; analogous to xylem in plants.

Sieve plates

End walls with sieve areas in sieve tubes, facilitating transport.

Diatomaceous earth

Sedimentary deposits of diatoms used in filtration, polishing, and insulation.

Macrocystis pyrifera

Giant kelp; a tall brown alga reaching tens of meters.

Sargassum

Floating brown algae forming extensive mats in the Sargasso Sea.