ALGAE PROTISTA

ALGAE PROTISTA

By: Cristóbal A. Acosta Montoya

 

INDEX

1.                   Description

2.                   Classification

3.                   Main Characteristics Algae Protista

a.                   Reproduction

b.                   Nutrition

c.                    Interaction

4.                   Fun facts

CONTENT

1.                    Description 

A protist is any eukaryotic organism (one with cells containing a nucleus) that is not an animal, plant or fungus. The protists do not form a natural group, or clade, since they exclude certain eukaryotes; but, like algae or invertebrates, they are often grouped together for convenience. In some systems of biological classification, such as the popular five-kingdom scheme proposed by Robert Whittaker in 1969, the protists make up a kingdom called Protista, composed of "organisms which are unicellular or unicellular-colonial and which form no tissues".

Within the realm of the protists are the algae

2.                    Classification

Exist two type of algae or we can identify them by two type of cellular formation:

a. Unicellular microscopic algae

b. Multicellular algae

3.                   Main Characteristics Algae Protista

Algae is a living thing that can live in the sea or in the earth, in this kindom are a lot of diferent algae:  protist, amoeba…But all different.

a.   Reproduction

Some types of algae are asexual and divide her cells. Some types of algae do sexual multi-cellular cycles to reproduce.

Protista can be sexual or asexual, Amoebas are an example of the asexual reproduction that means that don´t need a fertilization of another Amoeba.

Sexual reproduction needs two Protista tow have other Protista.

b.   Nutrition

    Nutrition can be very according to the type of protist. Most algae are autotrophic, but the pigments were lost in some groups, other protist are heterotrophic. Some protist/lost chloroplast/mitochondria have entered to endosymbiotic relationship with bacteria/algae to replace the missing functionality.

The following box summarizes the nutrition scheme:   

NUTRITIONAL TYPES IN PROTIST METABOLISM
Nutritional type	Source of energy	Source of carbon	Examples
Photoautotrophs	Sunlight	Organic compounds or carbon fixation	Most algae
Chemoheterotrophs	Organic compounds	Organic compounds	Apicomplexa, Trypanosomes or Amoebae

c.  Interaction with other species.

Interaction can be with other species: Eating other animals or the other animals eat this types of animal.

4. Fun Facts