PROTOZOA -TAXONOMY, FEATURES AND CLASSIFICATIONS(TRADITIONAL AND MODERN)

1. protozoa
-The Ancestors Of The Animal Kingdom.
Mahima Mahesh Naik
Marine Microbiology
GOA UNIVERSITY

2. KINGDOM:PROTISTA
WHAT ARE PROTISTS?
• A protist is any organism that is not a plant,animal
or fungus
• Ernest Haeckel coined the term protista in 1886
• Simplest Eukaryotes
• Mostly unicellular, some are multicellular
• Can be autotrophic or heterotrophic
• Microscopic or macroscopic
• Capable of sexual, as well as asexual reproduction.
• Free living or live symbiotically with other organism.
• Most organisms live in moist environment.

3. 3 Categories of Protists
Animal-like
PROTOZOA
Plant-like
ALGAE
Fungus-like
SLIME
MOLDS AND
WATER
MOLDS

4. Categories
are based
on
Mode Of
Reproduction
Method Of
Nutrition
Motility

5. What Are Protozoan Protists?
• The word "protozoa" was coined in 1818 by zoologist Georg August
Goldfuss
• Protos(first) + zoazoon(animal) = Protozoa.
• Unicellular
• Aquatic, free-living or parasitic
• Locomotion.
• Heterotrophs-ingesting other organisms or dead organic matter.
• Both sexual and asexual reproduction(binary fission,budding &
multiple fission)

6. Scheme of Classification of Protozoa:
• Protozoans, depending upon its size, habit, habitat
or depending upon its locomotory organs, had been
classified differently by various authors, like Hyman
(1940), Parker and Haswell (1949), Honiberg et al.
(1964).
• The classification of Protozoa by Levin et al. (1980)
is the recent one and is widely accepted by modern
taxonomists.

7. Protozoan Taxonomy
• The protozoans, like all other organisms, are classified into
more specific groups.
• Protozoan taxonomy (classification) is based on
1. Their mode of locomotion.
2. The number and type of nuclei they have.

8. Traditional classification of protozoa
• Classification of protozoa was based on mode of locomotion.
• Flagella – long, whip-like; usually one or two
• Cilia – short, bristle-like; hundreds to thousands
• Pseudopodia – pseudo = false; pod = foot an extension of the
cell membrane into which the cytoplasm flows creating a
directional movement.
• Some protozoans are non motile.(sporozoa)

9. features of protozoa
locomotion
Pseudopodia
Amoeboid
protozoans
Cilia
Ciliated
protozoans
Flagella
Flagellated
protozoans
Non motile
Sporozoans.

10. Amoeboid
protozoa
Ciliated
protozoa
Flagellated
protozoa
Sporozoa

11. Modern Classification of protozoa.
• Protozoa as a
subkingdom,
• Contains 7 phyla
1. Phylum
Sarcomastigophora
2. Phylum
Labyrinthomorpha
3. Phylum Apicomplexa
4. Phylum Microspora
5. Phylum Ascetospora
6. Phylum Myxozoa
7. Phylum Ciliophora
Protozoa
Phylum
Sarcomastigophora
Phylum
Labyrinthomorpha
Phylum
Apicomplexa
Phylum
ciliophora
Phylum
Microspora
Phylum
Ascetospora
Phylum
Myxozoa

12. Phylum Sarcomastigophora
Nucleus is of single type, except in heterokaryotic Foraminifera.
Locomotory organs are either pseudo- podia or flagella or both.
Both Sexual and Asexual reproduction
• Subphylum Mastigophora and Sarcodina

13. Subphylum Mastigophora
• Contains both phytoflagellates and zooflagellates
• Class: Zoomastigophora
• Examples: Trypanosoma, Giardia, Trichomonas, Leishmania,
Trichonympha, Giardia Lamblia

14. Subphylum Sarcodina
Contains amoeboid protest
• Found in both fresh and salt water
• Class Rhizopoda
• Examples: Amoeba, Elphidium,
Coccodiscus, Naegleria, Entamoeba

15. Phylum Labyrinthomorpha
• Consist of protists that have spindled-shaped or spherical, non-
amoeboid cells.
• Mostly inhabitants of marine and estuarine water.
Fig.labyrinthula
• Saprophytic and parasitic on algae.
• Zoospores are produced by most species.
• Examples: Labyrinthula, Labyrinthomyxa

16. Phylum Apicomplexa
• Often called sporozoans
• Spore-forming stage in their life cycle
• Lack special locomotory organelles
• All species are parasitic in nature.
• Examples: Plasmodium,Taxoplasma,Cryptosporidium

17. Phylum Microspora
• Obligatory intracellular parasites found in nearly all major
animal groups.
• Spore is with simple or complex extrusion apparatus
associated with polar tube and polar cap.
• Mitochondria absent in spores.
• Unique Example of Hyperparasitism
• Examples:Nosema, Burkea, Hessea.

18. Phylum Ascetospora
• Small phylum
• Consists exclusively of parasitic protist
• In most of the cases spores are multicellular.
• Spores without polar capsules or polar filaments.
• Examples:Haplosporidium, Coelosporidium, Paramyxa, Marteilia.
Fig.1Haplosporidium
Fig.2Marteillia.

19. Phylum Myxozoa
• Found in freshwater and marine
• All species are parasitic.
• Spores are of multicellular origin
• Examples:Myxidium, Myxosoma, Trilospora, Triactinomyxon.

20. Phylum Ciliophora
• Largest phyla
• Cilia as locomotory organelles
• Most of the species are free living
• some truly parasitic
• Simple cilia or compound ciliary organelles are present in at least one stage of life
cycle.
• Subpellicular cilia is present even when surface cilia is absent.
• Nuclei are of two types.
• Presence of typical contractile vacuole.
• Nutrition heterotrophic.
• Asexual reproduction by binary fission, basically, but budding and multiple fission
also occur.
• Sexual reproduction involves conjugation, autogamy and cytogamy.
Examples:Paramoecium,Balantidiuma ,Vorticella, Nyctotherus, Tetrahymena, Nassula,
Podophrya, Prorodon

22. Protozoan diseases in human
• Protozoans infects humans and inhibits the body
as parasites.
• Some species causes human diseases.
• Diseases are widespread
• Requires intermediate hosts for transmission of
disease. Eg.mosquitoes

23. References
• Kumar et al(book) Life Sciences: Fundamental And Practice I
,6th edition Pg no.557-558
• Prescott’s microbiology(book)10th edition,chapter 25,Pg
no.553.
• http://www.notesonzoology.com/protozoa/protozoa-
classification-features-and-evolution-zoology/1447
• https://www.slideshare.net/NoeMendez9/characteristi
cs-of-protozoa?next_slideshow=1

24. Thank you!
-MAHIMA MAHESH NAIK
GOA UNIVERSITY