BMSC210 CH5.1 Eukaryotes Flashcards
What are eukaryotic microbes characterized by?
Diversity in life cycles, morphology, and nutrition
What is one important contribution of fungi?
Producing antimicrobial substances like penicillin
How do algae differ from protozoa in terms of their basic characteristics?
Algae are photosynthetic and can be unicellular or multicellular, while protozoa are nonphotosynthetic and always unicellular
What is an informal term used to describe microorganisms that drift or float in water?
Plankton
What are the two types of plankton?
Zooplankton and phytoplankton
Where do protozoans inhabit?
A wide variety of habitats, both aquatic and terrestrial
What are the reproductive mechanisms of protozoans?
Asexual and sexual reproduction
How does asexual reproduction occur in protozoans?
Binary fission, budding, or schizogony
How can protozoans increase genetic diversity?
Sexual reproduction
What are the hair-like appendages called in Paramecium spp.?
Cilia
What do Amoeba spp. use for anchoring and locomotion?
Lobe-like pseudopodia
What do Euglena spp. use to propel the cell?
Flagellum
How many supergroups is Eukarya divided into?
Six
Excavata
Amoebozoa
Opisthokonta
Rhizaria
Chromalveolate
Archaeplastida
Which supergroup includes fungi?
Opisthokonta
Which supergroup includes some protozoans of clinical significance?
Amoebozoa, Excavata, Chromalveolata
What is the supergroup Amoebozoa known for?
Amoeboid movement
What structure is responsible for amoeboid movement?
Actin microfilaments
What are the two types of slime moulds?
Cellular slime moulds and plasmodial slime moulds
What is the difference between cellular and plasmodial slime moulds?
Cellular slime moulds exist as individual amoeboid cells that periodically aggregate into a mobile slug, while plasmodial slime moulds exist as large, multinucleate amoeboid cells
What is the purpose of the fruiting body in cellular slime moulds?
To produce haploid spores
What are plasmodial slime moulds?
Large multinucleate amoeboid cells that form reproductive stalks to produce spores
What defines the supergroup Chromalveolata?
Similar origins of plastids
Name two groups within the supergroup Chromalveolata.
Apicomplexans and ciliates
What is the function of the apical complex in apicomplexans?
Allows the parasite to enter host cells
What is the characteristic feature of apicomplexans?
Apical complex
What is a ciliate?
A motile organism with a visible cytostome and cytoproct.
What is the most familiar ciliate?
Paramecium.
What is the function of the oral groove in Paramecium?
To ingest food
What is the function of the anal pore in Paramecium?
To excrete food
What is the function of contractile vacuoles in Paramecium?
To excrete excess water
What enables Paramecium to move?
Cilia
What are some similarities between Öomycetes and fungi?
Cell walls
How do Öomycetes differ from fungi?
Cell wall composition, diploid
What is the Excavata supergroup?
Primitive eukaryotes and many parasites with limited metabolic abilities
What is indicative of an excavate?
A depression on the surface of the cell
What are the subgroups of Excavata?
Fornicata, Parabasalia, and Euglenozoa
Which subgroup of Excavata lack mitochondria but have flagella?
Fornicata
What is a common pathogen in this group?
Giardia lamblia
How is Giardia lamblia spread?
Through cysts from faeces that contaminate water supplies
What type of animal do Parabasalia live in?
Termites and cockroaches
What are the characteristics of Euglena cells?
Two flagella, pellicle, stigma, chloroplasts
What is the function of the pellicle in Euglena cells?
Supports the cell membrane and gives shape
What diseases do trypanosomes cause?
African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and Chagas disease
How are these diseases spread?
By insect bites
Which insect is responsible for transmitting African sleeping sickness?
Tsetse fly
What gives a Euglena its distinctive shape?
Pellicle
What is the pellicle visible as in images?
Delicate parallel striations over the surface
What is the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis?
Trypanosoma brucei
