Biology Chapter on Protists

Organisms with a nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles, mostly unicellular, but some multicellular.

Protists that can produce their own food using photosynthesis like plants.

Protists that obtain nutrition by consuming organic molecules from other organisms.

Protists that use a combination of photosynthesis and consuming organic molecules.

A relationship where one organism lives inside another organism.

Protists with modified mitochondria and unique flagella. They are often found in anaerobic environments and have reduced mitochondria, leading to less cellular respiration and more anaerobic respiration.

Excavata protists with reduced mitochondria called mitosomes. They lack functional electron transport chains, making them reliant on anaerobic pathways for energy. They have two equal nuclei and multiple flagella, allowing for rapid reproduction and movement. Many are parasitic.

Excavata protists with reduced mitochondria called hydrogenosomes. They generate anaerobic energy and release hydrogen gas as a byproduct. Most are parasitic.

Excavata protists with a diverse range of lifestyles, including predatory heterotrophs, photosynthetic autotrophs, mixotrophs, and parasites. They are characterized by the presence of a rod with a spiral or crystalline structure inside their flagella.

A large and diverse group of protists that includes diatoms, golden algae, and brown algae. Known for their photosynthetic abilities and the unique way they store energy.

A clade of protists characterized by having alveoli (small sacs) beneath their plasma membrane. They include dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, and ciliates.

A group of protists characterized by their thread-like pseudopodia. They include radiolarians and forams.

Protists with a diverse range of lifestyles, including amoebas and slime molds. They are characterized by the presence of a single flagellum in their reproductive stage.

Viruses evolved from protein and nucleic acid molecules before cells existed, contributing to the rise of cellular life.

Viruses were originally small cells that became parasitic to larger cells.

Viruses evolved from DNA or RNA escaping from larger organisms.

The protein shell that surrounds the core of a virus, containing its nucleic acid.

The capsid and the nucleic acid core together.

Viruses without any additional covering, only containing the nucleocapsid.

Viruses with an additional covering, called an envelope, around the nucleocapsid.

Identical protein subunits that self-assemble into the capsid of a virus.

Red algae, also called rhodophytes, are a group of algae that are reddish due to the pigment phycoerythrin.

Phycoerythrin is a photosynthetic pigment found in red algae that masks the green color of chlorophyll, giving them their reddish hue.

Green algae are a diverse group of algae with a structure and pigment similar to chloroplasts in plants. They are divided into two groups: charophytes and chlorophytes.

Charophytes are a group of green algae that are most closely related to plants.

Chlorophytes are a diverse group of green algae with a variety of forms, including unicellular and multicellular. They are found in freshwater and marine environments.

Amoebozoans are a group of protists that include many species of amoebas. They are distinct from rhizarians because their pseudopodia are lobed or tube-shaped, rather than thread-like.

Slime molds, also called mycetozoans, are a category of amoebozoans that were originally thought to be fungi because they reproduce using fruiting bodies. While they share this characteristic with fungi, they are different because many slime molds are unicellular.

Plasmodial slime molds are a type of slime mold that forms a large, multinucleated mass called a plasmodium. This plasmodium spreads over moist soil and engulfs food particles through phagocytosis.

The deliberate use of biological agents (organisms or toxins) to cause harm or death to people, animals, or plants.

A type of biological warfare that involves the intentional release of harmful biological agents.

A common strategy used throughout history in warfare, where disease and filth were used to weaken the enemy.

A devastating plague pandemic that swept across Europe, the Near East, and North Africa in the 14th century.

The use of dead bodies as a weapon, often by catapulting them into enemy ranks.

Bacteria, viruses, and toxins are three groups of biological agents commonly used in biological warfare.

The deliberate release of biological agents into the air, water, or food supply.

The use of infectious diseases as weapons was recognized as early as 600 BCE and has continued to be employed throughout history.

Enzymes that viruses can carry to help them replicate. Examples include polymerases, which copy DNA and RNA.

A type of viral classification based on the presence or absence of an outer membrane called an envelope.

A system used to classify viruses based on their structure, such as helical or icosahedral.

A method of classifying viruses based on the type of genetic material they carry, either DNA or RNA.

The process that viruses use to multiply inside a host cell, involving several steps.

The initial step in viral replication where the virus attaches to the host cell.

The process by which the virus enters the host cell.

The stage of viral replication where the virus uses the host cell's machinery to produce new viral components.