Chapter 12 Objectives

Algae

Simple autotrophs essential in the food chain, can produce toxins causing harm to humans

Red tides

Algal blooms caused by warmer weather and nutrient abundance

Protozoa

Microscopic heterotrophs, important in sewage control, can cause diseases like malaria

Fungi

Organisms with chitin in cell walls, can cause infections and food spoilage

Helminths

Multicellular parasites including nematodes, cestodes, and trematodes

Nematode Diseases

Examples include Elephantitis, River blindness, and Trichinosis

Tapeworms

Parasites that attach to host's intestines and absorb nutrients

Arthropods

Insects and arachnids serving as vectors of transmission

Fleas

Small wingless insects transmitting pathogens, historically linked to the bubonic plague

Lice

Body lice can transmit bacterial diseases like trench fever

Ticks

Transmit bacteria causing diseases like Lyme disease, can cause tick paralysis

Mites

Tiny arachnids triggering allergic reactions, do not transmit diseases