Protists and Fungi

• Fungi

  • Eukaryotic organisms
  • Unicellular or Multicellular
  • Multicellular ones often have hyphae (look like roots)
  • Hyphae can spread over plants or even penetrate human skin and cause disease
  • Hyphase can produce spores which spread easily and cause disease
• Rose Black Spot

  • Fungal Disease
  • Purple and Black spots form on the leaves of plants
  • Leaves turn yellow and fall off
  • Reduces photosynthesis
  • Doesn't grow so well
  • Spreads in water or wind
  • Treated by destroying infected leaves or with fungicides
• Protists

  • Unicellular or Multicellular
  • A large majority are unicellular
  • Often classed as 'parasites' meaning live on or inside another organism at the organism's expense
  • Transported by vectors (such as mosquitos)
  • Vectors do not get the disease themselves
• Malaria

  • Parasitic protist
  • Transported by mosquito (vector)
  • Mosquito sucks up blood and parasites
  • Then when mosquito feed again the parasites are spread to a new host
  • Fever
  • Headaches
  • Recurrent episodes (keep going away and coming back)
• The best way to prevent protist diseases is to reduce the number of vectors, so destroy breeding sites, use insecticides, mosquito nets and repellant.