Diversity of Protists

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the diversity of protists, including their classifications, characteristics, and ecological roles.

Four Supergroups of Eukaryotes

A classification system that divides all eukaryotes into four main supergroups: Unikonta, Excavata, SAR, and Archaeplastida.

Unikonta

Includes protists that are closely related to fungi and animals, characterized by possessing a single emergent flagellum or being amoebae without flagella.

Excavata

A clade that includes protists with modified mitochondria and distinctive flagella, often characterized by an 'excavated' groove on one side of their cell body.

SAR Clade

A highly diverse monophyletic supergroup of protists characterized by genetic similarities, named after its nested clades: Stramenopiles, Alveolates, and Rhizarians.

Stramenopiles

A clade within SAR characterized by diversity, including important photosynthetic organisms like diatoms and brown algae.

Diatoms

Single-celled algae that are major components of phytoplankton and responsible for a significant proportion of global oxygen production.

Brown Algae

The largest and most complex type of algae, commonly referred to as seaweeds, and characterized by their multicellular structures.

Alveolata

A clade characterized by membrane-enclosed sacs (alveoli) beneath the plasma membrane, including dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, and ciliates.

Ciliates

A diverse group of protists that use cilia for movement and feeding, known for genetic variation through a process called conjugation.

Rhizarians

A group of primarily unicellular protists distinguished by their threadlike pseudopodia, often engaged in capturing prey.

Archaeplastida

A supergroup of photosynthetic eukaryotes that includes red algae, green algae, and plants, all of which have cellulose in their cell walls.

Red Algae

Multicellular organisms with a reddish color due to phycoerythrin, which allows them to absorb light in deeper waters.

Green Algae

A diverse group of algae that are closely related to plants, characterized by their grass-green chloroplasts and varied habitat preferences.

Amoebozoans

A group of protists with lobe- or tube-shaped pseudopodia, encompassing slime molds, tubulinids, and entamoebas.

Plasmodial Slime Moulds

A type of slime mold that forms a multicellular mass called a plasmodium, encased in a single membrane involving multiple nuclei.

Cellular Slime Moulds

Slime molds that maintain cellular separation while forming multicellular aggregates, capable of aggregation to create a fruiting body.