Day+64+Protists

Daily Agenda: 1. Warm up - 15 minutes 2. Notes: Protists - 15 minutes 3. Video: Protists - 20 minutes 4. Protist Assignment - 40 minutes

Objectives: 4.02 Analyze the processes by which organisms representative of the following groups accomplish essential life functions including:
 * Unicellular protists, annelid worms, insects, amphibians, mammals, nonvascular plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms.
 * Transport, excretion, respiration, regulation, nutrition, synthesis, reproduction, and growth and development.

4.03 Assess, describe and explain adaptations affecting survival and reproductive success.
 * Structural adaptations in plants and animals (form to function).
 * Disease-causing viruses and microorganisms.
 * Co-evolution.

Protist Assignment: Ameba The ** ameba ** is a protozoan that belongs to the ** Kingdom Protista **. The name ameba comes from the Greek word amoibe, which means change. (Amoeba is also spelled amoeba.) Protists are microscopic unicellular organisms that don't fit into the other kingdoms. Some protozoans are considered plant-like while others are considered animal-like. The ameba is considered an animal-like protist because it moves and consumes its food. Protists are classified by how they move, some have cilia or flagella, but the ameba has an unusual way of creeping along by stretching its cytoplasm into fingerlike extensions called ** pseudopodia **. (The word "pseudopodia" means "false foot".) On the coloring sheet, there are several pseudopodia, use a yellow highlighter or pencil to highlight each of them (color around the outside of them). When looking at ameba under a microscope, an observer will note that no ameba looks the same as any other, the ** cell membrane ** is very flexible and allows for the ameba to change shape. Color the cell membrane red. Amebas live in ponds or puddles, and can even live inside people. There are two types of cytoplasm in the ameba, the darker cytoplasm toward the interior of the protozoan is called ** endoplasm **, and the clearer cytoplasm that is found near the cell membrane is called ** ectoplasm **. (On the coloring, the endoplasm is indicated by the dotted area, and the ectoplasm by the white area.) Color the endoplasm blue, and leave the ectoplasm uncolored. By pushing the endoplasm toward the cell membrane, the ameba causes its body to extend and creep along. It is also by this method that the ameba consumes its food. The pseudopodia extend out and wrap around a food particle in a process call ** phagocytosis **. The engulfed food then becomes a ** food vacuole **. There are several food vacuoles on the drawing – color each brown. The food will eventually be digested by the cell’s ** lysosomes **. Also visible in the ameba is the ** nucleus **, which contains the ameba's DNA. Color the nucleus purple. In order to reproduce the ameba goes through ** mitosis **, where the nucleus duplicates its genetic material and the cytoplasm splits into two new daughter cells, each identical to the original parent. This method of reproduction is called ** binary fission **. Another structure easily seen in the ameba is the ** contractile vacuole **, whose job is to pump out excess water so that the ameba does not burst. Color the contractile vacuole orange. During unfavorable conditions, the ameba can create a ** cyst **, this hard-walled body can exist for a long period of time until conditions become favorable again. At this point it opens up and the ameba emerges. Often cysts are created during cold or dry periods where the ameba could not survive in its normal condition. Color the cyst green. Amebas can cause disease. A common disease caused by the ameba is called ** Amebic Dysentery **. A person becomes infected by drinking contaminated water. The ameba then upsets the person's digestive system and causes cramps and diarrhea. A person is most likely to be infected in countries where the water is not filtered or purified.

**Paramecium ** Paramecium are unicellular protozoans classified in the phylum Ciliophora (pronounced sill-ee-uh-FORE-uh), and the Kingdom Protista. They live in quiet or stagnant ponds and are an essential part of the food chain. They feed on algal scum and other microorganisms, and other small organisms eat them. All members of the Phylum Ciliophora move by tiny hair-like projections called cilia. **Color all cilia black**. The paramecium cannot change its shape like the ameba because it has a thick outer membrane called the pellicle. The pellicle surrounds the cell membrane. **Color the pellicle light blue**. There are two types of nuclei (plural of nucleus). The large nucleus is called the macronucleus which controls respiration, protein synthesis and digestion. **Color the macronucleus red**. The much smaller micronucleus is used only during reproduction, **color the micronucleus pink**. Reproduction in paramecium involves the exchanging of DNA within the micronucleus. In order to do this, two paramecium lie side by side and join at the mouth pore. This process is called conjugation and is a method of sexual reproduction in other microorganisms. Contractile vacuoles are used in animal cells to remove the excess water. The contractile vacuole is shaped like a star - **color the contractile vacuole dark green.** Paramecium are heterotrophs, meaning they must consume food for their energy. Food enters the paramecium through the **mouth pore (color orange)** and goes to the **gullet (color dark blue)**. At the end of the gullet, food vacuoles are formed. Food vacuoles then remain in the cytoplasm until the food is digested. **Color all food vacuoles light brown**. Undigested food particles are eliminated through the **anal pore (color dark brown)**. The indented area where food enters the paramecium is referred to as the oral groove. Paramecium can respond to temperature, food, oxygen and toxins and have a very simple defense mechanism. Just inside the pellicle are threadlike organelles called trichocysts. The paramecium can shoot tiny threads out of the cell to entangle a predator or to make themselves appear bigger. **Color the trichocysts purple**. Paramecium are also known to exhibit avoidance behavior. This is where the paramecium will move away from a negative or unpleasant stimulus. There are 2 kinds of cytoplasm in the paramecium. The cytoplasm around the edges is clear and is called ectoplasm. **Leave the ectoplasm clear**. The rest of the cytoplasm is more dense is called endoplasm. **Color the endoplasm yellow**.