Kingdom Protista Flashcards

These flashcards provide definitions and key facts regarding the characteristics, classifications, and roles of the Protista kingdom based on the lecture notes.

Protista

A diverse group of eukaryotic microorganisms with simple organization, lacking specialized tissues; they can be unicellular or multicellular and include both autotrophs and heterotrophs.

Haeckel

The German biologist who, in 1862, first used the term Protista to describe microscopic organisms that were neither animal-like nor plant-like.

Protozoa

Known as 'little animal,' these are animal-like protists that are heterotrophic, aquatic, and hunt or gather food such as bacteria and organic matter.

Algae

Plant-like autotrophic protists found in fresh and saltwater, soil, or on rocks and trees; they utilize various pigments and produce much of the oxygen we breathe.

Oomycotes

Commonly known as water molds or 'egg fungus,' these fungal-like aquatic protists are diploid throughout their life cycle and were responsible for the Irish potato famine in $1846$.

Myxomycetes

Known as slime molds, these terrestrial fungi-like protists live a predatory lifestyle and, unlike true fungi, their cells do not possess chitin.

Zooflagellates

One of the four groups used to identify protozoa.

Sarcodines

One of the four groups used to identify protozoa.

Ciliates

One of the four groups used to identify protozoa.

Sporozoans

One of the four groups used to identify protozoa.

Plasmodium

The protist responsible for Malaria, which is transmitted by the Anopheles Mosquito vector.

Trypanosoma

The protist that causes Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping Sickness), which is transmitted by the Tsetse Fly vector.

Giardia

A protist residing in the digestive system that causes Giardiasis, leading to severe diarrhea and vomiting after transmission from contaminated water.

Cryptosporidium

A protist responsible for a major health crisis in Detroit when the city's drinking water became contaminated.

Marine Phytoplankton

Organisms that make up approximately $70\%$ of the oxygen on the planet.

Diatoms

Protists that are mined for fine abrasives used in products like silver polish and toothpaste.

Diploid

A state of having two sets of chromosomes; Oomycetes are in this state throughout their life cycle except briefly when they are haploid gametes.

Kingdom Animalia

The kingdom believed to have originated from Protozoa.

Kingdom Plantae

The kingdom believed to have originated from Algae.

Kingdom Fungi

The kingdom believed to have originated from Slime molds.