Sarcomastigophora

• Sarcomastigophora


  • Group of single-celled (unicellular) organisms
  • Very adaptive, for instance; reproduction processes (they can reproduce in a sexual or asexual way/process that affects their conditions of living)
  • Umbrella term for protozoans that move by flagella and pseudopods
• Flagella


  Hair-like structures that directs the locomotions of the cell
• Flagella can glow in oceans
• Pseudopods


  Arm-like structures that directs the feeding in amoeba
• Pseudopod behavior is called Phagocytosis; they stretch their body forming like an arm reaching the sensed nutrients/food and they eat it
• Zooflagellates


  • Single-celled organisms that are heterotrophic, relying on ingesting other organisms or organic materials for nutrition
  • Their movement is facilitated by whip-like flagella, allowing them to navigate through various aquatic environments such as freshwater, marine, and moist terrestrial habitats
  • Their ability to feed on abundant microorganisms found in seawater, combined with their flagella-driven mobility, makes them well-adapted to these environments
• Some species of zooflagellates can cause diseases in humans, such as the Trypanosoma brucei parasite that causes African sleeping sickness
• Giardia


  • A protozoan parasite that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses in humans and other animals
  • Has two nuclei, each with four associated flagella, and was thought to lack both mitochondria and Golgi apparatuses
• Giardia can cause a disease called Giardiasis, a diarrheal disease that spreads through contact with infected people, contaminated food or drinking water
• Mastigophora


  • A diverse range of single-celled organisms, particularly protists
  • Some species are important pathogens in humans and other animals
  • Found in various aquatic environments, including freshwater and marine habitats, as well as moist soil
  • Some species are free-living, while others live as symbionts, parasites, or commensals within other organisms
• Opalinata


  • Leaf-like appearance
  • Size is comparable to a single hair strand
  • No mouth
  • Covered with "cilia" or small hairs
  • Multinucleated
• Movement of Opalinata


  The cilia's moves are synchronized, resembling a wave
• Location of Opalinata


  Commonly found inside the intestines of frogs, or other amphibians (e.g. salamanders, newts, etc.)
• Opalinata are not harmful to their hosts, they actually help with their digestion and provide them with better gut health, and also help prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria inside their host