Protist Terms for BIOL 1603

Protista

The algae and the protozoa

Unicellular

Comprised of a single cell that may be flagellated or non-motile

Colonial

Comprised of more than one cell, generally without any division of labor, that may be flagellated or non-motile

Filamentous

Comprised of a chain of cells

Multicellular

Comprised of more than one cell, generally with division of labor, that may be flagellated or non-motile

Haploid

Set of chromosomes from a single parent and is typically denoted as "N"

Diploid

Set of chromosomes from two parents and is typically denoted as "2N"

Chlorophyll a

Organic solvent-soluble photosynthetic pigment common to all plastid-bearing lineages and most cyanobacteria

Chlorophyll b

Organic solvent-soluble photosynthetic pigment common to chloroplast-bearing lineages and some cyanobacteria

Chlorophyll c

Organic solvent-soluble photosynthetic pigment common to rhodoplast-bearing Chromalveolates

Phycobilin

Water-soluble pigments common to all Cyanobacteria and all Rhodophyta

Mixotroph

Organism that is capable of photoautotrophy and chemoheterotrophy

Meiosis

Reduction division of cells with diploid nuclei that results in cells (typically 4) with haploid nuclei

Mitosis

Cell division that involves duplication of the nuclear material whereby the resulting daughter nuclei are separated into two daughter cells

Sexual reproduction

Reproduction generally involving the union of haploid gametes or opposite mating types

Asexual reproduction

Reproduction that does not involve gametes but leads to progeny or cells that are largely identical (clones) of the parent organism or parent cell

Endosymbiosis

Symbiotic relationship in which one organism resides inside the body or cells of another organism

Lynn Margulis

Early advocate of a theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells through endosymbiosis

Cyanobacteria

Photoautotrophic (chlorophylls and phycobilins) lineage of prokaryotes that share a common ancestor with plastids that were acquired by endosymbiosis

Chloroplast

Plastid type of the "green" or Viridiplantae lineage in the Archaeplastida and which has been acquired by secondary endosymbiosis in some organisms like Euglena and Chlorarachnion

Rhodoplast

Plastid type of the "red" or Rhodophyta lineage in the Archaeplastida and which has been acquired by secondary endosymbiosis in some organisms like the Dinoflagellates, Apicomplexans, Bacillariophyta and Phaeophyta

Primary Endosymbiosis

Endosymbiosis in which a cyanobacterium (prokaryote) was acquired as an endosymbiont in the cell of a eukaryotic chemoheterotroph where the cyanobacterial endosymbiont eventually evolved into a plastid

Secondary Endosymbiosis

Endosymbiosis in which a plastid-bearing (photoautotrophic) eukaryote was acquired as an endosymbiont in the cell of a eukaryotic chemoheterotroph where the plastid (and sometimes a reduced nucleus) of the endosymbiont was retained to serve the new host

Euglenids

Biflagellate members of the Euglenozoa (Excavata) that include photoautotrophs with chloroplasts acquired by secondary endosymbiosis and flagella with crystalline rods

Kinetoplastida

Flagellated members of the Euglenozoa, some of which are parasites (e.g., Trypanosoma), that possess mitochondria with distinctive mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplasts)

Diplomonads

Flagellated members of the Excavata, some of which are parasites (e.g., Giardia), that possess dikaryotic cells

Oral Groove

Cellular adaptation for ingestion of particles in protozoans

Excavata

Eukaryotic super-group of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic eukaryotic microbes that share common flagellar features

Crystalline Rod

Distinctive structure associated with flagella in the Euglenozoa

Parabasalids

Flagellated members of the Excavata, some of which are parasites (e.g., Trichomonas), that possess unique fibers at the base of the flagella

Trichomonas

Flagellated parabasalid that causes STD that is often mis-diagnosed as yeast infection

Giardia

Intestinal parasite in the Diplomonad lineage

Euglena

Photoautotrophic euglenid that acquired a chloroplast by secondary endosymbiosis

Trypanosoma

Member of the Euglenozoa that exists as a blood parasite that causes trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping Sickness; Chaga's Disease)

Kinetoplast

Unusual mitochondrial DNA observed in a group of protists that bears the same name (Kinetoplastida)

Euglenozoa

Alliance within the Excavata that includes Euglenids and Trypanosoma

Tsetse Fly

Biting fly of central Africa that lives on the blood of vertebrate animals and is the vector for African Sleeping Sickness (Trypanosoma)

Reduviid Bug

Biting bug of South America that is the vector for Chagas Disease

Sleeping Sickness

Trypanosomiasis brought on with the bite of the Tsetse fly

Chagas Disease

Trypanosomiasis brought on with the bite of the Reduviid bug

Eyespot

Pigmented region of a flagellated alga or protozoan that generally serves as a shading device that aids the photosensitive apparatus

Contractile Vacuole

Sub-cellular structure involved in maintaining water balance in algae or protooza and that functions by collecting and expelling (by contraction) excess water

Chromalveolata

The alliance of Alveolata and Stramenopila

Bacillariophyta

The diatoms

Diatoms

Algae with silica cell walls, beta-1,3 linked storage polysaccharides and rhodoplasts that bear chlorophylls a and c

Phaeophyta

The brown algae including the kelps

The Brown Algae

Multicellular algae (mostly seaweeds) with cellulose cell walls, heterokont flagella, beta-1,3 linked storage polysaccharides and rhodoplasts that bear chlorophylls a and c

Heterokont

Bearing flagella of two (or more) types

Stramenopila

Alliance that includes the diatoms and brown algae and is generally characterized by heterokont flagella where one flagellum is smooth and one flagellum is hairy

Alveolata

The alliance of algae and protozoa that are characterized by the presence of gaps (alveoli) along the cell periphery

Dinoflagellates

Alveolate algae with cellulose cell walls, alpha-1,4 linked storage polysaccharides, heterokont flagella and rhodoplasts that bear chlorophylls a and c

Apicomplexans

Alveolate protozoa, including the Plasmodium parasites (malaria), that bear an apicoplast which is thought to be descended from rhodoplasts but that no longer bear any photosynthetic pigments

Ciliates

Alveolate protozoa, including Paramecium, that bear numerous cilia on the cell surface and are dikaryotic bearing macronuclei and micronuclei

Apicoplast

Unusual organelle of the Apicomplexans that is now regarded as a rhodoplast that has lost most photosynthetic function

Plasmodium

Genus of Apicomplexans responsible for malaria

Malaria

Blood disease in humans is caused by Plasmodium where mosquitos (usually females who take blood meals when bearing young) serve as the vector of transmission

Sporozoite

Infective stage of Plasmodium that develops in the salivary glands of the mosquito vector and can be delivered to a human host with the bite of the mosquito

Merozoite

Infective stage of Plasmodium that develops in either liver cells or in red blood cells in the human and are largely responsible for the symptoms of malaria in humans (recurrent lethargy, chills and fever)

Gametocytes

Reproductive stage of Plasmodium that develops in red blood cells in the human and must be passed to a mosquito where they will develop into gametes (egg and sperm)

Oocyst

Structure in the mosquito host that is produced by Plasmodium and which houses the sporozoite stage which can infect humans.

Micronucleus

One of the ciliate dikaryon that is exchanged with other ciliate cells during conjugation (sexual reproduction)

Macronucleus

One of the ciliate dikaryon whose genes are expressed during the daily life of the ciliate cell and divides to produce micronuclei

Cilia

Short motile apparatus that bears the 9+2 microtubular arrangement observed in the much longer eukaryotic flagellum

Silica

The principle inorganic component of glass

Rhizosolenia

Diatom genus with extensive fossil record (because the siliceous cell walls do not easily degrade with time) that has been interpreted as evidencing speciation

Seaweeds

Macroscopic algae

Kelp

Macroscopic brown algae

Thallus

The body of an plant that lacks vascular tissue

Alternation of Generation

A diplobiontic life history that includes distinct haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) generations

Gametophyte

The gamete-producing, haploid stage in alternation of generation

Sporophyte

The spore-producing, diploid stage in alternation of generation

Isomorphic Alternation of Generation

Gametophyte and sporophyte are morphologically (but not physiologically) indistinguishable

Heteromorphic Alternation of Generation

Gametophyte and sporophyte are morphologically distinct

Laminaria

Brown alga that demonstrates heteromorphic alternation of generation characterized by a macroscopic sporophyte stage and a filamentous gametophyte (male and female) stage

Zoospore

Asexual motile stage of algae or protozoa

Sporangium

Structure that produces spores (usually) by meiosis

Gametangium

Structure that produces gametes

Antheridium

Male gamete (sperm) producing structure

Oogonium

Egg-producing cell

Rhizaria

Eukaryotic supergroup that includes the filose amoebae

Filose Pseudopodia

Needle-like pseudopodia

Lobose Pseudopodia

Thick or lobed pseudopodia

Foraminifera

Member of the Rhizaria, often referred to as forams, that produces calcium carbonate shells (tests) that have provided the group with an extensive fossil record

Globigerina

A genus in the Foraminifera

Opisthokonta

Alliance of eukaryotes that includes the Fungi and Animalia

Fungi

Opisthokont lineage of eukaryotes, many of which are characterized by cell walls made of chitin (a nitrogenous polysaccharide)

Animalia

Opisthokont lineage of eukaryotes that lacks cell walls

Choanoflagellates

Opisthokont lineage of protozoa that bear similarity to choanocytes of sponges and is now regarded as a sister group to the Animalia

Amoebozoans

A sister group to the Opisthokonts that includes the Entamoebae and the Gymnamoebae

Gymnamoeba

Naked amoebae (e.g., Amoeba proteus) that are free-living chemoheterotrophs

Entamoeba

Parasite amoebae that lack mitochondria (by loss) and include the agents of amoebic dysentery

Entamoeba histolytica

The species responsible for amoebic dysentery

Archaeplastida

Eukaryotic supergroup comprised of the Rhodophyta and the Viridiplantae

Rhodophyta

The red algae

Nori (Porphyra)

The red alga used as the wrap for sushi

Chlorophyta

Major lineage of green algae that includes Chlamydomonas

Charophyta

Major lineage of green algae that includes Chara and Coleochaete

Streptophyta

Alliance of Charophyta and Embryophytes (Kingdom Plantae)

Embryophyta

The embryo-bearing plants (i.e., the Kingdom Plantae)

Viridiplantae

The green plants which include the Chlorophyta, the Charophyta and the Embryophytes (Kingdom Plantae)