Kingdom Protista

    Matt says:

    "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, so here's all the information that you, the gracious Ms. Kim, are looking for.  IN BULLET FORM."

ORIGIN OF EUKARYOTES

- the origin of the eukaryotic cell (including its membrane-enclosed nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, endomembrane system, cytoskeleton, 9 + 2 flagella, diploid stages, mitosis, meiosis) unfolded during the evolution of protists

- involved the evolution of multicellular prokaryotes, where different cell types are specialized for different functions

- involved the evolution of complex bacterial communities, each species benefits from the metabolic specialties of other species

- endosymbiotic theory:  forerunners of eukaryotic cells were symbiotic consortiums of prokaryotic cells, with certain species living within larger prokaryotes

- a heterotrophic host could derive nourishment from photosynthetic endosymbionts

- conglomerate of prokaryotes gradually became integrated into a single eukaryotic organism

PROTOZOA

    - ingest food, an animal-like mode of nutrition, actively seek and consume
      bacteria, other protists, and detritus (dead organic matter)

- Rhizopoda:  naked and shelled amoebas, with broad pseudopodia for motility and feeding, engulf by phagocytosis

- Actinopoda:  occupy planktonic habitats; usually spherically symmetrical, feed with axopodia (slender, radiating pseudopodia supported by internal microtubules), radiozoans possess internal siliceous skeletons and glossy shells, while heliozoans do not

- Foraminifera, "Forams":  feed and move with slender, interconnected pseudopodia exuding from spirally arranged calcareous compartments, largest ones grow to diameters of several centimeters

- Apicomplexa:  formerly called sporozoans, parasitic with complex life cycles in animal hosts, Plasmodium causes malaria

- zoomastigophora, zooflagellates:  use flagella for motility and feeding; mostly unicellular, but some colonial, Trichonympha inhabits the gut of termites, Trypanosoma causes African sleeping sickness

- Ciliophora, ciliates:  cilia used for motility and feeding; mostly unicellular, with a few sessile, colonial species, examples: Stentor attaches its posterior end to debris and, by beating the anterior membranelles, causes a whirlpool-like current that moves food into the cell mouth, Paramecium releases sticky, proteinaceous threads from its trichocysts which stabilize the cell during feeding (feeds mainly on bacteria)

FUNGUSLIKE PROTISTS

- similarity to true fungi is due to convergent evolution of filamentous body structure, increases exposure to the environment

- complex life cycles contribute to survival in changing habitats and facilitate dispersal to new food sources

- Myxomycota (plasmodia slime molds):  heterotrophs, may grow to a diameter of several inches, not multicellular but multinucleate (coenocytic), use cytoplasmic streaming to distribute nutrients and oxygen

    - Acrasiomycota (cellular slime molds):  during feeding stage, cells function
      individually but work as a unit when there is no more food, fruiting bodies
      for asexual reproduction and no flagellated stages, example: Dictyostelium

- Oomycota (Water Molds):  consist of hyphae, cell walls made of cellulose, have biflagellated cells, important decomposers in aquatic ecosystems, include some of the most devastating plant pathogens ever known

ALGAE

- mainly photosynthetic, account for about half of the photosynthetic production of organic material on a global scale

- bases of aquatic food webs

- algae differ considerably in their accessory pigments, lending them to have characteristic colors, from greenish to reddish bluish

- study of pigment mixes has helped establish taxonomic affinities among the algae

- Euglenophyta:  green, no cell wall, lives mostly in fresh water

    - Dinoflagellata:  brown, one lateral and one posterior flagella, spins as it
      swims, cell wall made of submembrane cellulose, lives in marine and
      fresh water, examples: Gonyaulax tamerensis, Ceratium

    - Bacillariophyta:  olive brown, cell wall consists of hydrated silica in an
      organic matrix, tiny pores in shells allow exchange of gases, examples:
      Navicula monilifera, Pinnularia

    - Chrysophota (golden algae):  golden olive, one or two apical flagella, lives
      mostly in fresh water, example: Dinobryon

- Phaeophyta (brown algae):  olive brown, cell wall is a cellulose matrix with other polysaccharides, flourish in cold ocean waters, examples: Postelsia with a thallus well adapted to maintaining a firm foothold in the crashing surf of coast, kelp such as Macrocystis

- Rhodophyta (red algae):  red to black color, no flagella, mostly marine, many species are tropical, examples: Palmaria, an edible species with a "leafy" form, Polysiphonia a filamentous red alga

- Chlorophyta (green algae):  green coloring (surprise!), cell wall made of cellulose, most live in fresh water, Volvox, Bryopsis is one huge supercell, Ulva (sea lettuce)

Phylogenic Tree