The document provides an overview of phylum Protozoa, detailing its characteristics, classification, and the four subphyla: Sarco-mastigophora, Sporozoa, Cnidospora, and Ciliophora. Protozoa are described as microscopic, acellular organisms that can be free-living or parasitic, with a variety of locomotion methods and nutritional types. The document further breaks down each subphylum into specific classes and provides examples, emphasizing their reproductive methods and ecological roles.

1. Phylum Protozoa: Characters
and Classification
Submitted By: Submitted To:
Amit (2991710035) Dr. Asha Kiran Jain
B.Sc.(Biotech)

2. INTRODUCTION
 The animals included in phylum Protozoa can be defined as microscopic and
acellular animals without tissues and organs.
 First protozoans were discovered by A. V. Leeuwenhoek.
 Term Protozoa (From Greek, protos=first, zoon = animals) was given
by Goldfass.
 According to five-kingdom classification system, protozoans belong to the
kingdom Protista.
 Protozoa exist either singly or in colonies. Almost about 50,000 species are
known till date.

4. GENERAL CHARACTERS
 They are known as acellular or non-cellular organism. A protozoan body
consists of only mass of protoplasm, so they are called acellular animals.
 Habitat: mostly aquatic, either free living or parasitic or commensal.
 Grade of organization: protoplasmic grade of organization. Single cell
performs all the vital activities thus the single cell acts like a whole body.
 Body of protozoa is either naked or covered by a pellicle.
 Locomotion: Locomotory organ are pseudopodia (false foot) or cilia or
flagella.
 Nutrition: Nutrition are autotropic (like plant) or holozoic (like animal) or
saprophytic or parasitic.

5.  These are solitary (Euglena), or colonial (Proteospongia).
 Digestion: digestion is intracellular, occurs in food vacuoles.
 Excretion occurs by diffusion across general body surface or by contractile
vacuoles. Contractile vacuoles serve mainly for Osmoregulation and are
common in freshwater forms.
 Respiration: through the body surface.
 Osmoregulation: Contractile vacuoles helps in osmoregulation.
 Reproduction:
 Asexually reproduction is through binary fission or budding.
 Sexual reproduction is by syngamy and conjugation.

6. PROTOZOA CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR
SUB-PHYLA
1. SARCO- MASTIGOPHORA
2. SPOROZOA
3. CNIDOSPORA
4. CILIOPHORA

7. 1. SUB-PHYLUM SARCO-
MASTIGOPHORA
 Nucleus is monomorphic.
 Habitat is free living or parasitic.
 Locomotory organ either pseudopodia or flagella or both.
 Reproduction asexual , but when sexually it is essentially by syngamy.
 Spore formation is absent.
 Example: Euglena, Amoeba.

8. SUB-PHLYUM SARCO-
MASTIGOPHORA
It is divided into three super-classes:
 Mastigophora
 Oplinata
 Sarcodina

9. SUPER-CLASS MASTIGOPHORA
Charcaters:
 Organelles of locomotion: One or more flagella, so
are called flagellates.
 Body is covered by pellicle.
 Nucleus is Generally one but two in Giardia.
 Reproduction is asexual by binary fission
[longitudinal]
 Example: Trypanosomes.

10. CLASSES OF SUPER-CLASS
MASTIGOPHPORA
Phytomastigophora
Zoomastigophora

11. PHYTOMASTIGOPHORA
Characters-
 Nutrition is Autotrophic reserve food in starch or oil.
 Number of flagella one two.
 Habitat mainly aquatic : fresh or marine.
 Examples: Chrysamoeba, Volvox, Noctiluca, Euglena etc.
Euglena

12. ZOOMASTIGOPHORA
 Nutrition is heterotrophic and saprozoic. Reserve food in glycogen.
 Number of flagella one or many.
 Habitat is mostly endoparasitic and pathogenic.
 Examples; Mastigamoepa, giardia, trypanosome etc.
Trypanosom
Giardia
Mastigamoepa

13. SUPER-CLASS OPALINATA
It is characterized by
 Body is covered by a firm pellicle.
 Organelles of locomotion are many small sized cilia-like
flagella.
 Two to many monomorphic nuclei.
 Cytostome is absent so show saprozoic nutrition.
 Asexual reproduction by binary fission called
plasmotomy.
 Sexual reproduction by syngamy, e.g. opalina. Opalina

14. SUPER-CLASS SARCODINA
 Organelles of locomotion by Pseudopodia.
 Body is covered by generally plasma-membrane. Some are shelled.
 Generally one nucleus but many in pelomyxa.
 Reproduction is asexual by binary fission [irregular].
SUPER-CLASS SARCODINA DIVIDED INTO TWO CLASS
 Class Rhizopodea
 Class Actinopodea

15. CLASS RHIZOPODEA
CHARACTERS:
 Type of pseudopodia is lobopodia or filopodia or recticulopodia.
 Mode of reproduction is Creeping type.
 Example ; Amoeba, globigerina, polystomelcla etc.
Amoeba Polystomelcla
Globigerina

16. CLASS ACTINOPODEA
Characters:
 Type of pseudopodia is axopodia.
 Mode of living is sessile or floating type.
 Example; Acanthometra, Actinophrys etc.
Actinophrys
Acanthometra

17. 2. SUB-PHYLUM SPOROZOA
 Organelles of locomotion are absent.
 Nucleus is monomorphic.
 Habitat is all parasitic.
 Sexual reproduction is by syngamy.
 In Spore Formation, infective sprozoites are formed.
 Example: Gregarine.

18. CLASSES OF SUB-PHYLUM
SPOROZOA
 Class Telosporea
 Class Toxoplasmea
 Class Halosporea

19. CLASS TELOSPOREA
Characters:
 Spore are without polar capsule and polar filaments.
 Mode of reproduction both sexual and asexual.
 Example; Gregarina, Monocystis, Eimeria etc.
Monocystis
Eimeria

20. CLASS TOXOPLASMEA
Characters:
 Generally spores are absent.
 Mode of reproduction is only binary fission.
 Example; Toxoplasma
Toxoplasma

21. CLASS HALOSPOREA
Charaters:
 Spore case present.
 Mode of reproduction only schizogony.
 Example: Coelosporidium.
Coelosporidium

22. 3. SUB-PHYLUM CNIDOSPORA
 Organelles of locomotion are absent.
 Nucleus is monomorphic
 Habitat is parasitic
 Sexual reproduction is by syngamy.
 Spore have one or more polar filament and one or more sporoplasms.
SUB-PHYLUM CNIDOSPORA DIVIDED INTO TWO CLASSES
 Class Myxosporidea
 Class Microsporidea

23. CLASS MYXOSPORIDEA
Characters:
 Nature of spore-With two or three valves.
 Origin of spores- Multicellular origin.
 Host type- Cytozoic parasites of fishes.
 Example: Myxobolus, Myxidium
Myxobolus Myxidium

24. CLASS MICROSPORIDEA
Characters:
 Nature of spore-With only one valve.
 Origin of spores-unicellular origin.
 Host type is Cytozoic parasites of arthropoda.
 Example: Nosema.
Nosema

25. 4. SUB-PHYLUM CILLIOPHORA
It includes class Ciliate which is further divided into four
sub-classes.
 Some characters of Ciliated protozoans:
 They develop a number of cilia during a part or whole of life cycle.
 Cillia are used for locomotion.
 There is high degree of morphological and physiological speclization.
 Most of ciliates are free-living in fresh or marine water. Some are
parasities .
 Nutrition is holozoic expect parasitic form.
 Asexual reproduction take place by binary or budding. Cyst formation
under unfavourable condition.
 Sexual reproduction by means of conjugation.
 Examples- Paramecium, Balantidium coli etc.