Page 2:

• Protists are an extremely diverse assortment of eukaryotes

• Protists are more diverse than all other eukaryotes

• Protists are no longer classified in a single kingdom, they are polyphyletic

• Advances in eukaryotic systematics have caused the classification of protists to change significantly

• Using clades is a more valuable approach

  • A clade is defined as a group of species, whose members are descendants from a common ancestral species- exemplifying one phylogenetic group.

Page 3:

• Protists are very nutritionally diverse

• Some Protists are autotrophs, which contain chloroplasts and can synthesize their own food through photosynthesis (i.e. algae)

• Some Protists are heterotrophs, obtain their food by consuming other organisms

• Some Protista such as protozoans, get their food through phagocytosis (similar to animals)

• Some protista such as slime molds, get their food by absorption (similar to fungi)

• Mixotrophs, which combine photosynthesis and heterotrophic nutrition

Page 4:

• Protists are also diverse in habitat, including freshwater and marine species

• Reproduction and life cycles are also highly varied among protists, with both sexual and asexual species

Page 5:

• Protists are currently classified into 4 supergroups: Excavata, "SAR" Clade, Archaeplastida, Unikonta

Page 6:

• Protista Clades

  • Euglenozoa (Supergroup: Excavata)- example Trypanosome

  • Alveolata (Supergroup SAR)- example Paramecia

  • Stramenopila (Supergroup SAR)- examples Diatoms, Brown Algae

  • Rhizarians (Supergroup SAR)- examples Foraminiferans & Radiolarians

  • Amoebozoans (Supergroup Unikonta)- examples Amoeba, Physarum

  • Chlorophyta (Supergroup Archaeplastida)- examples Green algae- Spirogyra, Ulva

  • Rhodophyta (Supergroup Archaeplastida)-- example red algae

Page 9:

• Euglenozoans have flagella with a unique internal structure

• Euglenozoa is a diverse clade that includes:

  • Predatory heterotrophs

  • Photosynthetic autotrophs

  • Free living or pathogenic parasites

• Their main feature distinguishing them as a clade is a spiral or crystalline rod of unknown function inside their flagella

• They can have one or more flagella

Page 10:

• Euglenozoa: Trypanosoma levisi

• Trypanosoma levisi is a parasite found in the blood of rats and is transmitted by fleas

• These trypanosomes are long and thin, with a flagellum that runs from the anterior end and twists back

• The flagellum is joined to the complete length of the cell via an undulating membrane

Page 14:

• Alveolates have sacs beneath the plasma membrane

• They can be autotrophs or heterotrophs

• Members of the clade Alveolata have membrane-bound sacs (alveoli) just under the plasma membrane

• The function of these alveoli is unknown but researchers think that they may help stabilize the cell surface or regulate the cells water and ion content

Page 15:

• Alveolata: Paramecium caudatum

• They are commonly found in freshwater habitats

• Ciliates, a large varied group of protists, are named for their use of cilia to move and feed

• The cilia may completely cover their cell surface or be clustered in a few rows or tufts

• They have large macronuclei and small micronuclei

• They can have one or more of each type of these nuclei

Page 21:

• Stramenopila

• The clade Stramenopila includes several groups of heterotrophs as well as certain groups of algae

• They are mostly photosynthetic

• Name of the clade is derived from the Latin for Stramen-straw and pilos- hair) which refers to a flagellum with numerous fine hairlike projections

• Most have a “hairy” flagellum paired with a “smooth” flagellum

Page 22:

• Stramenopila: diatoms

• They can be unicellular or form aggregates

• Diatoms are unicellular algae with a unique two-part, glass-like wall of hydrated silica embedded in an organic matrix

• The walls consist of two parts- valves that overlap like a petri dish the base and its lid

• These walls provide protection from the crushing jaws of predators

Page 28: Brown Algae n Stramenopila

• Brown algae are the longest, fastest-growing algae

• They are photosynthetic and multicellular

• Their life cycle has alternating generations

• They are brown in color due to the carotenoid pigment- fucoxanthin

• They can attach to rocks by a holdfast

• Some brown algae have specialized organs like stem-like stipe and leaf-like blades, and gas-filled bladders

Page 30: Rhizarians- Foraminiferans and Radiolarans

• Foraminiferans and Radiolarans are solitary amoeboid and heterotrophic organisms

• They contain threadlike pseudopodia

• Foraminiferans have porous shells called tests

• Foraminiferans derive nourishment from symbiotic algae

• They can be marine planktonic or benthic

Page 36: Radiolarians

• Radiolarians are marine planktonic organisms

• They have tests made of silica

• Radiolarians have needle-like pseudopodia supported by microtubules

• They phagocytose microorganisms with their pseudopodia

Page 40: Ameobozoa: Amoeba

• Amoeba are solitary and live in freshwater or marine habitats

• They are unicellular and have an irregular body shape

• They move using pseudopods

• They lack shells

Page 45: Chlorophyta (Green Algae)

• Most chlorophytes live in fresh water, although many are marine

• They are photosynthetic autotrophs and contain chlorophylls a and b

• They can be unicellular, form aggregates, be filamentous, be colonial, or be multicellular

• They have many characteristics in common with land plants

Page 49: Red Algae (Rhodophyta)

• Rhodophyta are photoautotrophs

• They have several pigments including chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin

• They can be single-celled or multicellular