Microscopy of Algae and Protozoa

Vocabulary terms and definitions regarding the classification, morphology, and locomotion of Algae and Protozoa as discussed in the microbiology lab practical.

Protists

Eukaryotic single cell organisms that exist mainly in aquatic environments and soil; they are larger than bacteria and can be viewed as unstained living preparations.

Algae

A large and diverse group of Eukaryotic organisms that contain chlorophyll and carry out oxygenic (oxygen generating) photosynthesis.

Chlorophytes

Also called Green algae, they bear chloroplasts containing chlorophylls a and b and can be unicellular, filamentous, or colonial.

Rhodophytes

Also called Red algae, they mainly inhabit marine environments, are mostly multicellular, lack flagella, and contain chlorophyll a but lack chlorophyll b.

Phycoerythrin

An accessory pigment in red algae that masks the green colour of chlorophyll, resulting in a reddish appearance.

Protozoa

A large and diverse group of unicellular, eukaryotic organisms that lack a cell wall and are primarily moved by locomotor organelles or gliding mechanisms.

Pellicle

A flexible layer outside of the cell membrane possessed by some protozoa instead of a rigid cell wall.

Heterotrophic nutrition

A mode of nutrition where free-living forms ingest particulates such as bacteria, yeast, and algae, while parasitic forms derive nutrients from host body fluids.

Sarcodina

A group of protozoa where motility results from the streaming of ectoplasm, producing protoplasmic projections called pseudopods.

Pseudopods

Also known as "false feet," these are protoplasmic projections used for movement in the Sarcodina group.

Mastigophora

A group of protozoa that move using one or more whiplike, thin structures called flagella.

Ciliophora

A group of protozoa that achieve locomotion through short hairlike projections called cilia, such as Paramecium caudatum.

Sporozoa

A group of parasitic protozoa, including the genus Plasmodium, that do not have locomotor organelles in their mature stage.

Total Magnification

The product of the eyepiece and objective lenses; for example, a $10\times$ eyepiece lens and a $40\times$ objective lens result in a magnification of $400\times$.

Filamentous

A morphological form of algae where individual cells are arranged end-to-end.

Colonial

A morphological form of algae where cells exist as aggregates.

Amoeba proteus

A prototypical free-living member of the Sarcodina group characterized by the use of pseudopods.

Giardia intestinalis

A parasitic member of the Mastigophora group, formerly known as Giardia lamblia.

Plasmodium

The genus of malarial parasites belonging to the Sporozoa group.

Balantidium coli

A parasitic example of the Ciliophora group.