38 Questions
What is the primary function of phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems?
Producing nutrients and oxygen
How are algae classified?
Into six phyla
What is the majority of species in the phyla Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, and Phaeophyta?
Multicellular
What is the primary pigment in green algae?
Chlorophyll
Where do most species of green algae live?
In freshwater
What is the characteristic of Volvox?
It forms a colony of cells
How do green algae reproduce?
Both asexually and sexually
What is the characteristic of Spirogyra?
It forms slender filaments
What is the process by which Spirogyra reproduces asexually?
Fragmentation
Where do almost all species of brown algae live?
In salt water along rocky coasts
What pigment is responsible for the brown color of brown algae?
Fucoxanthin
What is the function of air bladders in brown algae?
To keep their bodies floating near the surface
What is the name of the largest and most complex of brown algae?
Kelp
What is the special feature of red algae that allows them to live in deep water?
They contain phycobilins
What is the primary way Giardia lamblia is transmitted to humans?
Through contaminated water or food
Which of the following protists is responsible for causing malaria?
Plasmodium
What is the common name for an organism that can transmit a disease?
Vector
Which protist is transmitted by the bite of a tsetse fly?
Trypanosoma
What is the name of the disease caused by Giardia lamblia?
Giardiasis
What is the name of the phylum that includes animal-like protists?
Sporazoa
Which of the following is a characteristic of algae?
They contain chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments
Which of the following diseases is primarily caused by a parasite that affects the digestive system?
Giardiasis
What is the primary characteristic of dinoflagellates that makes them spin?
They have two flagella located in grooves at right angles to each other
Which type of protist is characterized by its ability to change from photosynthetic to heterotrophic?
Euglenophyta
What is the primary component of the cell walls of dinoflagellates?
Thick cellulose plates
Which type of protist is responsible for red tides?
Dinoflagellata
What is the name of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate that has caused fish kills in the coastal waters from Delaware to North Carolina?
Pfiesteria piscicida
Which type of protist is characterized by its ability to live in symbiosis with jellyfishes, mollusks, and corals?
Dinoflagellata
What is the primary pigment responsible for the golden-yellow color of diatoms?
Carotenoids
Which type of protist is characterized by its ability to produce an extremely strong nerve toxin?
Gonyaulax catanella
Where do slime molds typically grow?
In cool, moist, shady places with abundant organic matter
What is the primary way slime molds reproduce?
By forming spores
What is the characteristic of a plasmodium?
A mass of cytoplasm with many diploid nuclei but no cell walls or membranes
What is the feeding stage of a plasmodial slime mold?
The plasmodium stage
What is the name of the downy mildew that caused the Potato Famine of 1845-1849?
Phytophthora infestans
How do plasmodial slime molds move?
By creeping like an amoeba
What is the typical appearance of water molds?
Fuzzy, white growths
What is the primary source of nutrients for slime molds?
Decaying organic matter
Study Notes
Protists and Human Disease
- African Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping Sickness) is caused by Trypanosoma and transmitted by the tsetse fly, causing disfiguring skin sores, fever, lethargy, mental deterioration, and coma, and is only found in Africa.
- Giardiasis is caused by Giardia lamblia and is transmitted by infected animals into water, causing severe diarrhea and intestinal cramps.
- Malaria is caused by Plasmodium and is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito, and can be treated with quinine.
Protist Classification
- Phylum Sporozoa includes sporozoans, which are parasites, and includes the genus Plasmodium, which causes malaria and toxoplasmosis.
- Trypanosoma is transmitted by the tsetse fly.
Algae
- Algae are photosynthesizing protists that contain chlorophyll and other pigments, and are classified into six phyla.
- Phytoplankton are photosynthesizing unicellular protists that produce much of the oxygen used on Earth.
- Green algae (Chlorophyta) are diverse, with over 7000 species, and live in freshwater, oceans, soil, and on trees.
- Brown algae (Phaeophyta) are mostly marine, multicellular, and include kelp.
- Red algae (Rhodophyta) are mostly multicellular, marine seaweeds that use holdfasts to attach to rocks.
Dinoflagellates
- Dinoflagellates are unicellular, have cellulose plates in their cell walls, and are bioluminescent.
- They live in freshwater and saltwater, and are a major component of phytoplankton.
- Some species are toxic and can cause red tides.
Slime Molds
- Slime molds are animal-like during much of their life cycle, moving about and engulfing food.
- They make spores to reproduce, like fungi, but are more like amoebas.
- Plasmodial slime molds form a plasmodium, a mass of cytoplasm with many diploid nuclei, which creeps over surfaces, engulfing organisms and digesting them.
Water Molds and Downy Mildews
- Water molds are fungus-like protists that live in water or moist places, feeding on dead organisms or parasitizing plants.
- Downy mildews are water molds that can cause significant damage to crops, such as the potato blight caused by Phytophthora infestans.
Learn about diseases transmitted by vectors like tsetse flies and kissing bugs, including African Sleeping Sickness and Giardiasis, and their symptoms.
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