Unicellular Eukaryotes (Protozoans)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to unicellular eukaryotes, specifically protozoans, as extracted from the lecture notes.

Unicellular Eukaryotes

Organisms that consist of a single cell and have a complex structure, including a nucleus.

Symbiogenesis

The theory that eukaryotic cells originated through a process where one cell engulfs another.

Phagocytosis

The process in which a cell engulfs food particles to create a food vacuole.

Contractile Vacuole

An organelle that helps in osmoregulation by expelling excess water from the cell.

Cilia

Short hair-like structures on the surface of some protozoans that aid in movement and feeding.

Flagella

Long, whip-like structures used by some protozoans for propulsion through fluids.

Pseudopodia

Extensions of the cytoplasm used by some protozoans for movement and feeding.

Euglenozoa

A phylum of unicellular organisms that includes free-living euglenids and parasitic kinetoplastids.

Apical Complex

Unique organelles found in Apicomplexa, hypothesized to assist in penetrating host cells.

Plasmodium spp.

Genus of parasitic protists responsible for malaria in humans.

Dinoflagellata

A phylum of algae, important primary producers in marine ecosystems, characterized by two flagella.

Foraminifera

A group of shelled amoebas with porous tests, significant in geological studies.

Amoebozoa

A phylum of protozoa that includes amoebae, some of which are pathogenic to humans.

Opisthokonta

A clade that includes animals, fungi, and some unicellular eukaryotes, characterized by a posterior flagellum.