Protists and Fungi: Diversity and Evolution

Wood Wide Web

Soil fungi network connecting trees for resource sharing.

Autogenesis

Prokaryote membrane infoldings leading to compartmentalization.

Endosymbiosis

One organism lives inside another's cells.

Plastid

Double membrane organelle in plants and algae.

Protista

Diverse eukaryotic organisms not classified as plants, animals, fungi.

Unicellular

Most protists are single-celled organisms.

Aquatic Environment

Nearly all protists inhabit water-based ecosystems.

Motile Protists

Protists that can move using flagella, cilia, or pseudopodia.

Binary Fission

Asexual reproduction method where one cell divides into two.

Diatoms

Unicellular algae with silica cell walls, important producers.

Dinoflagellates

Planktonic protists with two flagella and cellulose walls.

Red Tide

Blooms of dinoflagellates causing harmful algal blooms.

PSP

Paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by Saxitoxin.

Brown Algae

Multicellular algae, important for marine ecosystems.

Red Algae

Marine algae with cellulose walls and phycoerythrin pigment.

Green Algae

Freshwater algae with chlorophyll A and B pigments.

Slime Molds

Multinucleate protists that can form large, colorful masses.

Fungi Characteristics

Decomposers, mostly multicellular, not photosynthetic.

Hyphae

Filamentous structures forming the vegetative growth of fungi.

Mycelium

Interwoven mass of hyphae in fungi.

Heterotrophic Saprobes

Fungi obtaining nutrients from decaying organic matter.

Chytridiomycetes

Simple fungi with motile spores, aquatic habitats.

Zygomycetes

Terrestrial fungi including bread molds, known for sporangiospores.

Ascomycetes

Fungi producing spores in sac-like structures called asci.

Basidiomycetes

Fungi producing spores on basidia, includes mushrooms.

Lichen

Mutualistic association between fungi and algae.

Mycorrhizae

Fungi-plant symbiosis enhancing water absorption.

Penicillin

Antibiotic derived from Penicillium fungi.