Characteristics of protozoa

1. Protozoa Phyla

2. List of SubPhyla
 SubPhylum Euglenozoa
 Euglenida (e.g., Euglena)
 Kinetoplasta (e.g., Trypanosoma)
 SubPhylum Chlorophyta (e.g., Volvox)
 SubPhylum Apicomplexa (e.g., Plasmodium)
 SubPhylum Ciliophora (e.g., Paramecium)

3. General Characteristics
 Single-celled or unicellular organisms;
some live in colonies;
 Size = microscopic (3 to 1,000 microns).
 No germ layers, tissues, or organs;
 However, specialized intracellular
"organelles" are present

4. General Characteristics
 Locomotion by pseudopodia, flagella, or
cilia.
 Symmetry = all types (bilateral, radial,
spherical, or asymmetrical)
 Free living, commensal, parasitic, or
mutualistic
 Mostly naked, but few have simple
protective exoskeletons

5. General Characteristics
 Nutrition = autotrophic (holophytic),
saprophytic.
 Reproduction: asexual = longitudinal and
transverse binary fission, budding,
 Sexual = sporogony, and autogamy

6. Amoeba-like organisms

7. Amoeba-like organisms
 Organisms move by pseudopodia, flagella,
or a combination
 Monomorphic nuclei
 Genera
 Amoeba- without a test, naked

8. Figure 11.10

9. Amoeba
Contractile Vacuole
Nucleus
Food Vacuole
Phagocytosis
Pseudopod
Hyaline Cap

10. Figure 11.05Amoeba hunting
food

11. SubPhylum Euglenozoa
 Organisms move by
one or two flagella
 Monomorphic nuclei
 Capable of
photosynthesis;
chloroplasts usually
present

12. Euglenida
 Plant like organisms
 Solitary
 Can photosynthesize

13. Euglena

14. Euglena
Stigma
Contractile Vacuole
Chloroplasts
Flagellum not
visible

15. Subphylum Kinetoplasta
 Organisms are only
heterotrophic
 No chloroplasts
present
 all parasitic
Trypanosoma smear – cause of sleeping sickness
Organism
Red Blood Cells

16. Trypanasoma
Trypanosoma organism
Red Blood Cells

17. SubPhylum Chlorophyta
 Flagellated single or colonial organisms
 Are autotrophic
 Have chloroplasts with chlorophyll
 Genetically different from Euglenozoa

18. Figure 11.20
Volvox life cycle

19. Volvox
Egg
Mother
Colony
Zygote

20. Mother Colony
Daughter Colonies
Nuclei of individual
cells

21. SubPhylum Apicomplexa
 organisms do not
have locomotor
structures;
 all species are
parasitic
 asexual reproduction
involves schizogony
Plasmodium smear – cause of Malaria

22. Plasmodium – agent
For malaria
Final Host
Vector

23. Trophozooite
trophozoitemerozoite
Ring stage
Red blood cell

24. Ring stage – Early Trophozoite
Ring stage in red blood cell

25. Merozoites in the Schizont
Schizont with merozoites in red blood cell
Red blood cell

26. Gametocytes
Female Male

27. SubPhylum Ciliophora
The Ciliates
 Organisms move by cilia
 Usually two sizes of nuclei
 Macronucleus and micronucleus
 Reproduction usually by transverse binary
fission
 but sexual reproduction by conjugation

28. Paramecium

29. Binary Fission – Asexual Reproduction

30. Conjugation – sexual reproduction