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Protists: Diversity, Ecology, and Health Impact

Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that are not plants, fungi, or animals. They include organisms that can be single-celled or multicellular, and are found in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Protists play important roles in ecosystems by forming the base of aquatic food webs through photosynthesis, but some species can also negatively impact humans through causes like harmful algal blooms and diseases such as malaria. Their high diversity and abundance make protists a significant part of life on Earth, and studying their cells and DNA helps scientists understand the evolutionary relationships between different protist lineages.

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6 views2 pages

Protists: Diversity, Ecology, and Health Impact

Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that are not plants, fungi, or animals. They include organisms that can be single-celled or multicellular, and are found in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Protists play important roles in ecosystems by forming the base of aquatic food webs through photosynthesis, but some species can also negatively impact humans through causes like harmful algal blooms and diseases such as malaria. Their high diversity and abundance make protists a significant part of life on Earth, and studying their cells and DNA helps scientists understand the evolutionary relationships between different protist lineages.

Uploaded by

Trisha In
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Protists

Eukarya Multicellularity has evolved a few times in euk. Cell division via mitosis or meiosis Most have DNA w/ proteins called histones (like archaea) Protist = all the euk that are NOT green plants, fungi, or animals. Paraphyletic = some, but not all, of the descendants of a single common ancestor Very diverse Found in wet soils, aquatic habitats, or the bodies of other organisms Impacts on Human Health and Welfare Irish potato famine Malaria = world's most chronic public health problem 4 species of Plasmodium are capable of parasitizing humans and causing malaria Liver cells, RBC; most antimalaria campaigns have focused on mosquitos Natural selection has favored mosquito strains that are resistant to the insecticides that have been sprayed in their breeding habitats. Evolved resistance Quick evol: no vaccine yet Harmful algal blooms When a unicell species experiences rapid pop growth and reaches high densities in an aquatic environment, it is said to "bloom." Harmful ones usually due to photosynthetic protists called dinoflagellates High levels of toxins in shellfish, and we eat the shellfish Ecological Importance of Protists Protists are 10% of E. Low diversity, but high abundance Primary producers, diatoms Key role in aquatic food chains Plankton = small organisms that live near the surface of oceans or lakes and that drift along or swim only short distances Phytoplankton = photosynthetic species of plankton are the basis of food chains in freshwater and marine environments Food chain = describes nutritional relationships among organisms Many of the species at the base of food chains in aquatic enviros are protists. Most foodchains in freshwater and marine habitats would collapse without protists Could they help reduce global warming? The movement of carbon atoms from CO2 molecules in the atmosphere is called the global carbon cycle. Wood is a storage area for carbon b/c carbon atoms tend to remain in wood for a long time.
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wood for a long time. Iron is a critical component of the ETC responsible for photosynthesis and respiration, but it is in particularly short supply in the open ocean. When added, protists and other primary producers increase rapidly Though it could reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, fertilizing the ocean with iron might lead to large acc of dead organic matter and the formation of anaerobic dead zones. Microscopy: Studying Cell Structure Detailed studies of cell structure revealed that protists could be grouped according to characterisitc overall form, according to organelles with distinctive features, or both. Flagellum = organelle that project from the cell and whip back and forth to produce swimming movements. Synapomorphies = shared, derived traits that distinguish major monophyletic groups. 8 major groups of E. Evaluating Molecular Phylogenies Discovering New Lineages via Direct Sequencing Direct sequencing = based on collecting org from a habitat and analyzing the DNA sequence of specific genes without growing larger populations of individuals in lab culture. Based on PCR to amplify genes Resulting DNA sequence data are then used to place the orgs on phy tree Eu cells are much more variable in size than previously imagined. A whole new world has just been discovered

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