Protozoans
Protozoan Groups
Apicomplexans
Amebas
Ciliates
Flagellates
Protozoan Taxonomy
• Morphological taxonomy • Molecular taxonomy
– Phylum sarcomastigophora – Indicate that morphological
• Subphylum mastigophora relationships are tenuous
– Flagellates – Divergence between phyla
» Phytoflagellates of protozoa as great as
» Zooflagellates between kingdoms (ie
• Subphylum sarcodinia animalia, fungi and plantae)
– Amoebas – Revisions are continuously
– Foramiferans occurring
– Radiolarians
– Phylum Ciliophora
• Ciliates
– Phylum Apicomplexa
• parasitic protozoa
• Spore forming protozoans
Newly Revised Protozoan Taxonomy
• Phylum Chlorophyta
– algae with chlorophyll
• Phylum Retortamonada
– no mitochondria
• Phylum Euglenozoa
– euglenoidea
– kinetoplasta
• Phylum Apicomplexa
• Phylum Ciliophora
• Phylum Dinoflagellata
• Amebas
Basis of Taxonomy
• Morphological traits • Characteristic organelles
– Flagella – Apical complex
– Cilia – Kinetoplast
– Pseudopodia – Presence/Absence of
– Shells (tests) mitochondria
• Reproductive modes – Presence/absence of
chloroplast
– Sexual
– Asexual
• Trophism
– Heterotrophic
– Spore formation
• Distinct reproductive cell – Autotrophic
forms
– Cyst formation
Flagella & Cilia
Fig. 11.6b
Pseudopodial
Movement
Amoeba
• Amoeboid movement
– Pseudopodial extension
• Phagocytosis
– Engulfment of large particles
Contractile Vacuoles
• Osmotic regulation
– Remove excess metabolic H2O, and HCO3
– Remove H2O that enters by osmosis
Feeding
Examples of Binary Fission – Asexual Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction
• Conjugation
– Meiotic nuclear division
– Transfer of portion of genome between partners
• Sporogomy
– Formation of sporozoites
– Formation of gametocytes from sporozoites
– Fusion of gametocytes to form new generation of sporozoite
– Gametocytes and sporozoites are present in separate hosts
Cyst Formation
Euglenozoa
• A phytoflagellate
– Autotrophic
– Opportunistic heterotroph
Free Living Flagellates
Pandorina colony
Colonial Flagellates
Volvox colony
Cell Specialization in the Colonial Volvacae
Examples of Sarcodinians
Foraminiferan Tests
Radiolarian Undergoing Binary Fission
Dinoflagellates
Flagellates
• Parasitic examples
• Cyst formers
Intracellular Parasitic Flagellates
Parasitic Kinetoplastids
• Phylum Euglenozoa
– Subphylum Kinetoplasta
• Class Trypanosomatidea
– Trypanosoma spp
– Leishmania spp
Trypanosomiasis
• African sleeping sickness – Eastern hemisphere
– Trypanosoma brucei
– Vector – Tsetse Fly - Glossina spp
Immages from links at http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite
Trypanosomiasis
• Chaga’s disease – Western hemisphere
– Trypanosoma cruzi
– Vector – assassin bug – Rhodnius spp, Panstrongylus spp and
Triatoma spp
Life Cycle of Trypanosoma
• http://www.genomics.liv.ac.uk/tryps/trypsmovie.html
Leishmaniasis
• Leishmania spp
• Vector – sandfly – OW Phlebotomus spp,
NW Lutzomyia, Brumptomyia
• Similar protozoan to Trypanosoma sp
• Cutaneous and visceral forms of disease
Life Cycle of Leishmania
Apical Organelles of the Apicomplexans
Life Cycle of
Plasmodium
falciparum
A Ciliate – Parmecium sp
Reproduction in Ciliates – Sexual and Asexual
Fission = asexual
Conjugation
Conjugation
Conjugation
Reproduction in Ciliates
Conjugation Fission
Some other Ciliates
Symbiotic Relationships
• Host
• Symbiont
• Relationship
– Parasitism
– Commensalism
– Mutualism
