(ch. 28)

Eukaryotes

Organisms with a nucleus and linear chromosomes that divide by mitosis.

Primary endosymbiosis

Acquisition of mitochondria and/or chloroplasts from an endosymbiosis event involving bacteria.

Secondary endosymbiosis

Involves the engulfing of a eukaryotic cell containing a chloroplast.

Excavata

A clade of eukaryotes characterized by an excavated groove in the plasma membrane and unique flagellum.

Rhizarians

Eukaryotic group with amoeboid shapes and pseudopodia.

Chloroplast

An organelle that is essential for photosynthesis and can vary depending on pigment presence.

Phycology

The study of algae.

Photic zone

The region of water where light can penetrate, facilitating photosynthesis.

Algal blooms

Rapid reproduction of algae under favorable conditions, often resulting in high population densities that can be harmful.

Diatoms

Producers known for their silica cell walls that play a significant role in carbon dioxide uptake through photosynthesis.

Mitosis

The process by which eukaryotic cells divide to produce two identical daughter cells.

Contractile vacuole

Organelles used by freshwater single-celled eukaryotes to manage osmotic pressure.

Nutrition

The ways organisms obtain food, which can be photoautotrophic, heterotrophic, or mixotrophic.

Protozoa

Single-celled eukaryotes that can cause diseases, such as malaria and sleeping sickness.

Malaria

A disease caused by single-celled eukaryotic parasites called apicomplexans.

Symbiosis

A mutually beneficial relationship between two different organisms.

Zooxanthellae

Photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live symbiotically within coral tissues.

Coral bleaching

The loss of symbiotic algae from coral, leading to a decrease in health and productivity.

Trichonympha

A genus of protists that can digest cellulose, found in the guts of some herbivorous animals.

Slime molds

Eukaryotic organisms that are involved in decomposition but are not primary decomposers.

Mixotrophic

Organisms that acquire nutrition through both the process of photosynthesis and consuming other organisms.

Photoautotrophic

photosynthesis + inorganic carbon

SAR

A clade of eukaryotes that includes Stramenopiles, Alveolates, and Rhizarians, known for their diverse forms and functions in different habitats.