protista AAAAAAA

endosymbiotic theory: (no real common ancestry within protist kingdom due to it being a fucked up trash can of bitches that didnt fit in the other kingdoms lol)

• eukaryotic cells may have evolved from multiple cells joining together

  endosymbiote: organism living in another one

  • eg: mitochondrion and chloroplast

major characteristics:

• eukaryotic + unicellular except algae

• plant-like: phytoplankton + algae, autotrophic

• animal-like: zooplankton + heterotrophic

diversity + continuity

plant-like characteristics:

• all autotrophic, most w/ chlorophyll + perform photosynthesis like green plants

  • can act as heterotrophs in limited light (eg. euglena)

• most motile w/ flagella

• asexual + sexual reproduction (binary fission + conjugation)

  • binary fission: cell splits in half, identitcal

  • conjugation: 2 cells come together + exchange genetic material, offspring identical to each other different from parents

• base of aquatic food chain

  • some luminescent (eg. dinoflagellates)

animal-like characteristics:

• heterotrophic

• free-living, parasitic, or symbiotic

  sarcodina: amoebas

  • pseudopodia (false feet for moving + feeding

  cilliophora: cilliates

  • w/ cilia, short numerous hairs

  mastigophora: flagellates

  • w/ flagella, long whip-like tails

  sporozoa: non-motile

  • no means of locomotion, obligate parasites

  • use vectors to move from host to hose via spores

    vectors: means of transport (eg. mosquitoes, certain bacteria)

fungi-like characteristics:

• commonly called moulds (slime moulds, water moulds)

• heterotrophic + saprophytic (feed on decaying organic matter)

• sexual + asexual reproduction

• motile in some life cycle stages

• cell walls made of cellulose (vs fungi made of chitin)

good protist:

• perform symbiosis w/ some organisms

  • termites: help digest cellulose

  • corals: helps use products of photosynthesis

  • clams: increases nutrient intake

• important food source for marine species

• play ecological role: phytoplankton (small organisms near surface of water) produce more than 70% of world’s photosynthesis providing oxygen + food

• recycles sewage + other waste material by directly absorbing organic material for food

• alginates used in everyday products (eg. toothpaste, medicine, ice cream) as vegan alternative to gelatin as a thickener

bad protist:

• algae bloom, draining nutrients too quick resulting in protist death + aggravated problem w/ more waste matter blocking nutrient flow

• red tide: dinoflagellates containing toxin causing paralysis/death ingested in large amts by shellfish

  • shellfish become toxic, ppl eat shellfish

    • swimmers not directly affected by the toxins in water due to lack of sufficient time spent marinating

• diseases caused by parasitic protists/toxin production

  • malaria: plasmodium, non-motile sporozoan

    • destroys red blood cells

    • causes fever, chills, and death

    • reduced by controlling insect vector (Anopheles mosquito)

      • genetic stuff idk

  • amoebic dynestery: robs host of nutrients

    • caused by amoebic parasite

    • attacks cells of intestine + red blood cells

    • spread by improper sanitary measures

    • causes bleeding sores in intestinal wall, blood in feces, diarrhea

  • african sleeping sickness: caused by Tranpanosoma

    • tsetse fly transfers from host to host

    • infects animals and humans

    • causes coma + death (attacks nervous system)

organelle functions:

• cilia: helps move cell + substances on surface

• chloroplast: produces energy through photosynthesis and makes cell green

• food vacuole: processes digestive enzyme to break down nutrients