Kingdom Protista
by Caroline Weber
Where do Protists live? Where are they found?
Are Protists prokaryotic or eukaryotic?
Are they autotrophs or heterotrophs?
Are they unicellular or multicellular?
What are the 3 categories of Protists divided into?
Amoeba
- Animal-like
- Heterotroph
- Often found in aquatic environments. They prefer clean ponds but can also be found in shallow pools and moist soil.
- To maintain osmoregulation the water collects into the contractile vacuole and the vacuole slowly grows larger until it reaches the maximum size. Then the endoplasm in the area surrounding the vacuole reduces in size and the fluid contents are discharged out into the surrounding pond water.
- Amoebas move by changing the shape of their body, forming pseudopods which are temporary feet.
- harmful: carry diseases and can get into the human body by contaminated food or water. helpful: eat algae which could help a body of water with too much algae in it.
Paramecium
- Animal-like
- Heterotroph
- Found in aquatic environments, usually still water.
- To maintain osmoregulation the paramecium uses contractile vacuoles to pump out excess water that enters.
- The paramecium can move in water by beating the cilia back and forth.
- harmful: have the potential to spread harmful diseases throughout the human body. helpful: can destroy a diseased caused by a special fungi that can spread in the human body and affect the immune system.
Euglena
- Fungus-like
- Can be either Heterotrophs or autotrophs
- Found in aquatic environments, usually quiet ponds or puddles.
- To maintain osmoregulation the contractile vacuole helps the cell remove excess freshwater. Without it, the euglena would take in so much water because of osmosis that the cell would burst.
- Euglena move by the flagellum which twists in a way to pull the cell through the water.
- harmful: capable of producing a toxin. helpful: possibly a solution for global warming.