Lab Ex 26 Survey of the Kingdom Protista - Protozoa & Slime Molds Flashcards
Protozoans
“1st animal”; among most versatile of all organisms on Earth; eukaryotes with an animal-like heterotrophic lifestyle (active consumers, not photosynthetic)
Pseudopods
movable extensions of cytoplasm used for locomotion and gathering food
Amoeba (genus characteristics)
phagocytic, form a food vacuole surrounded by a membrane; secrete enzymes into the food vacuole for intracellular digestion; contractile vacuole maintains the cell’s water balance by accumulating and expelling excess water
Phagocytic
engulf food particles
Contractile vacuole
maintains the cell’s water balance by accumulating and expelling excess water
Test
protective case of sand grains; general term referring to a secreted or partially secreted covering, much like a shell; ex Difflugia
Forams
phylum foraminifera; marine organisms called “shelled amoebas” because they surround themselves with a secreted test and have pseudopods; test is made of calcium carbonate and is perforated with pores allowing thin pseudopods to protrude; tests often used by oil companies to locate oil-bearing strata
Zoomastigotes
unicellular, heterotrophic, and have at least 1 flagellum; most primitive protozoans; likely ancestors of multicellular animal phyla; parasitic or free-living heterotrophic
Trypanosomes
pathogenic; cause African sleeping sickness and Chagas’ disease (transmitted by assassin bug; Darwin probably died from); common in tropics; spread by infection from biting insects (mosquitos, sand flies, tsetse flies)
Undulating membrane
thin, flat surface that can be waved for locomotion (rippling wave travels along the membrane and pushes the organism forward)
Cilia
small, hairlike projections; ciliates have characteristically large number of these
Micronucleus
divides by mitosis; contains the genetic info of the cell in normally shaped chromosomes; as many as 80 of these in a single cell
Macronucleus
single one of these in a cell; contains multiple copies of DNA divided into small pieces; replicates by elongating and constricting; essential for routine cellular functions
Conjugation
sexual process used by paramecium & most ciliates; individuals from 2 different strains align longitudinally and exchange nuclear material which stimulates metabolism of the individuals and is usually followed by frequent mitosis
Methylcellulose
substance added to a wet mount to slow a paramecium down and make it easier to examine