Protist and Fungi diversity Flashcards
What are protists?
Structurally and functionally diverse group of eukaryotes that span all four supergroups (excavata, Unikonta, SAR, Archaeplastida)
What are the defining qualities of supergroup excavata?
- Some members of supergroup have an excavated feeding groove on the side of the cell body.
- Corkscrew flagella
- Free-living (autotrophic) and parasitic (trypanosomes) species
What is mixotrophy?
Primarily autotrophic, but heterotropic with limited access to light.
What is Euglenozoa?
Type of freeliving/parasitic phylum in supergroup Excavata that are mixotrophic.
What are euglenids?
Lineage of phylum euglenozoa that are unicellular, freshwater, mixotrophic organisms with a contractile vacuole, membrane bound nucleus and one or two polar flagella.
What is the SAR clade?
Highly diverse group of protists defined by DNA similarities and consists of stramenopiles (diatoms, brown and golden algae), alveolates (dinoflgellates), and rhizarians.
What are diatoms and what do they look like? What do they do?
Unicellular stramenopile algae with a two-part glass like wall of silicon dioxide. Major component of phytoplankton and are found in the ocean and lakes.
What is diatomaceous earth made of?
Sediments of fossilized diatom walls.
What’s the difference between brown and golden algae?
Golden Algae: stramenopile with yellow and brown carotenoids (pigments) with a simple structure, mostly in groups of unicellular organisms
Brown Algae: stramenopile with large complex multicellular structures (e.g. kelp, giant seaweed)
What are the plant-like structures of an algae?
Holdfast: anchors algae
Blades: leaf-like structures that perform photosynthesis
Stipe: supports leaflike blades and brings it closer to the sun
Are the generations of the algae life cycle heteromorphic, or isomorphic?
Heteromorphic
What is the life cycle of brown alga?
- diploid sporophtye produces haploid via meiosis spores in the diploid sporangia
- haploid zoospores mature into haploid female and male haploid gametophytes via mitosis
- mature haploid sperm is produced from haploid male gametophyte which is released to fertilize a haploid egg in a haploid female gametophyte to form a diploid zygote
- Diploid zygote undergoes mitosis to develop into a diploid sporophyte
What are Dinoflagellates?
A group of flagellated alveolates made of cellulose that are a major component of phytoplankton. Explosive growth results in mass production of toxins that kills many invertebrates and fishes.
What is the archaeplastida? What are the types?
A diverse photosynthetic protist supergroup that includes red and green algae found in diverse habitats. Can be unicellular (chlamydomonas), grouped (Volvox), multicellular (Ulva, Caulerpa)
What is red algae?
Type of non-flagellate archaeplastida that are red due to pigment phycoerythrin and are mostly multicellular.