Protists/Fungi Station Lab Information 1 Protists Information Background: Perhaps the most strikingly diverse group of organisms on Earth is that of the Protists, Found almost anywhere there is water – from puddles to sediments. Protists rely on water. Somea re marine (salt water), some are freshwater, some are terrestrial (land dwellers) in moist soil and some are parasites which live in the tissues of others. The Protist kingdom is made up of a wide variety of eukaryotic cells. All protist cells have nuclei and other characteristics eukaryotic features. Some protists have more than one nucleus and are called “multinucleated”. Cellular Organization: Protists show a variety in cellular organization: single celled (unicellular), groups of single cells living together in a close and permanent association (colonies or filaments) or many cells = multicellular organization (ex. Seaweed). Obtaining food: There is a variety in how protists get their food. Like plants, many protists are autotrophs, meaning they make their own food through photosynthesis and store it as starch. It is estimated that green protist cells chemically capture and process over a billion tons of carbon in the Earth’s oceans and freshwater ponds every year. Photosynthetic or “green” protists have a multitude of membrane-enclosed bags (chloroplasts) which contain the photosynthetic green pigment called chlorophyll. Many of these organisms’ cell walls are similar to that of plant cells and are made of cellulose. Others are “heterotrophs”. Like animals, they eat other organisms or, like fungi, receiving their nourishment from absorbing nutrient molecules from their surroundings or digest living things. Some are parasitic and feed off of a living host. Some can switch from one mode to another as their environmental conditions change. These organisms are capable of cell-eating (i.e. phagocytosis) and cell drinking (i.e. pinocytosis). Motility: Most protists are motile and have a variety of external cellular extensions. A group of protists, the ciliates, have tightly packed rows of specialized short flagella, called cilia, used for moving and feeding. These bacteria-ingesting, motile cells are probably the best known protists! Other protists use longer complex whip-like flagella – at times longer than their bodies – for locomotion. Eukaryote flagella differ from prokaryote flagella in both size and structure. Bacteria flagella are much thinner and are not made of tiny microtubules. Some move by temporary cytoplasmic extensions, called pseudopods (“false feet”). Protists also have internal cell motility with cytoplasmic streaming. The cytoplasm, clear gel-like fluid which holds the organelles, moves around carrying the organelles and substances. Size: Most protist cells, or groups of cells, are microscopic. They cannot be seen with the naked eye but require a microscope to magnify their size so they can be viewed. Relationships: Many protists engage in symbiotic relationships with another organism. In this relationship at least one organism benefits: mutualism (they both benefit), commensalism (one benefits and one is unaffected) and parasitism (one benefits and one is harmed). Some protists are parasites, feeding off of a host organism. Organelles: There are many internal organelles that can be identified in protist cells. Generally there is a large nucleus, containing chromatin material, which is clearly visible. Also visible are various vacuoles or microcavities, that contain fluid or air that is enclosed in a membrane in the cell’s cytoplasm. Careful focusing with the microscope will usually show a number of food vacuoles – colored blobs – that freely circulate in living cells. Often you can observe other “granular inclusions” - crystals and other solid particles also circulate about in the cytoplasm. 2 Amoeba (Protozoans) – plus Domain Notebook pg. 16 (label w/functions) Amoeboid protists move about through extension and retraction of many “false feel,” or pseudopods, over various substrates wherever there is water. The characteristic movement by extension is called “amoeboid movement” and is a common form of locomotion in other cells. Some amebae only form a single pseudopod at one time. The pseudopod is also extended to surround other organisms or food particles and draw them into the body where they are packaged into food vacuoles. This type of food-getting is called “phagotrophic” with amoebae usually preferring bacteria as food. Amoeba proteus has a single nucleus, but it is not uncommon for other amoebae to have many nuclei. 3 Paramecium (Protozoans) - plus Domain Notebook pg. 17 (label w/functions) Paramecium’s body surface is uniformly covered with numerous cilia responsible for the organism’s spiraling locomotion. Paramecium’s cell mouth, or cytostome, is situated at the end of the oral groove, which is a ciliated channel. Special groups of cilia create water currents which help funnel bacteria, the paramecia’s usual food. This type of food-getting is called “phagotrophic”, with the cell eating bacteria or other protists. A food vacuole forms around the accumulated food at the base of the oral groove and travels in a cyclic figure- eight direction in the cytoplasm. The contents of the vacuole are subjected to digestive enzymes and the products of digestion are diffused into the cytoplasm. Undigested material is released at the posterior end of the body. Liquid wastes and excess water are released through two permanently located contractile vacuoles which produce star-shaped tubes in the water-collecting process. Paramecium has a water-permeable body wall. Excess water must be excreted because of the high osmotic gradient between the cell and its outside environment – the cells’ internal salt concentration exceeds that of its surroundings. Paramecia have two types of nuclei – a micro- and macronucleus. The single, large macronucleus functions in control of cell activities. The much smaller micronuclei function in the process of reproduction. 4 Protozoans (Flagellates/Parasites) Domain Notebook pg. 18 (use textbook pg. 78 as a reference) 5 Diatoms and Dinoflagellates (Plant-like Protists) Domain Notebook pg. 19 (use textbook pg. 74/79 as a reference) Need THREE different diatoms 6 Euglena - plus Domain Notebook pg. 20 (label) use pg. 80 for reference Euglena is a photosynthesizer (autotroph), it makes own food through chloroplasts in a process called photosynthesis. Euglenoids, along with other green protists, are major recyclers of carbon, the primary component of organic compounds. They store energy, attained through photosynthesis, in the form of starch. A very small eyespot is a photoreceptor, located at the anterior end. Euglenoids are positively phototrophic – they actively seek light and use flagella to swim towards it. Euglena has a large nucleus, usually found in the center of the cell. 7 Spirogyra (plant-like protist) plus Domain Notebook pg. 21 - bottom Gamophytes, or filamentous green algae, have symmetrical cells containing complex spiraling band-shape chloroplasts. Spirogyra is an “autotroph” meaning it makes its own food using photosynthesis. Organisms that get their food by eating other organisms who, in turn, consumed autotrophs are called “heterotrophs”. Spirogyra, along with other green protists, are major recyclers of carbon, the primary component of organic compounds. They store energy, attained through photosynthesis, in the form of starch in their cytoplasm. 8 Algae (plant-like protist) Domain Notebook pg. 21 - top (Red Algae) draw and label Domain Notebook pg. 22 - (Brown Algae) label with functions 9 Plankton The microworld of the open waters, or plankton community, includes a variety of microlife forms that float, drift, or move about feebly – everything from minute protists to large, lumbering copepods and cladocerans. The plankton is a diverse food web – a network of feeding relationships. Animal forms, or zooplankton, feed on protists. Bacertia break down the carcasses of animals, plants, and algae, releasing nutrients required by green producer or photosynthesizing forms called phytoplankton. Zooplankton, are “grazers” which feed on the various phytoplankton, protists and bacteria populations. Under low power (40X) magnification to scan and locate a planktonic form or “plankter” for closer observation. Look for various adaptations that help plankters compete and survive in this special microhabitat: Small size: Small organisms have a greater frictional resistance to sinking per unit weight than larger organisms. Spines and other things: These structures help increase surface without adding extra weight and are great defense mechanisms against being eaten! Look for: needle, pancake or ribbon shapes in plankters. 10 Fungus-like Protists 1 Domain Notebook pg. 23 – slime molds (label) use pg. 82 of textbook Domain Notebook pg. 23 – downy mildew, water mold (label) use pg. 83 of text 11 Fungi - plus Domain Notebook pg. 25 - bottom (label mushroom); pg. 27 label asexual reproduction; pg. 28 label sexual reproduction Fungi – mushrooms, molds, and yeasts – are decomposers. Because they cannot make their own food, they depend upon organic material for sustenance. The mold Rhizopus stolonifer appears commonly on bread as a gray, webby growth spotted with black dots. This fungus has specialized tube-shaped hyphae called “rhizoids” that penetrate the growing substrate to obtain nutrients needed to raise the upright stalks that support the bulb-shaped fruiting bodies. When the fruiting body matures, spores within are shed and