Protists

• Acanthamoebae castellani is a well-studied amoeba that is common in terrestrial environments. Describe 3 things about this amoeba. 


  This organism is completely sequenced. This organism can cause encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. This organism consumes bacterial prey by phagocytosis. 
• Why is Dictyostelium discoideum a good model organism?

  It is completely sequenced

  it consumes prey by phaogcytosis making it an ideal model for studying cellular processes like nutrient uptake and digestion

  Its multicellular development stage (motile slug and fruiting body) offers insights into cellular cooperation and multicellular development

  It is also well-suited for studying various cellular processes such as the cytoskeleton, chemotactic motility, and cellular aging.

  Its interactions with fungal or bacterial pathogens make it valuable for studying infectious diseases
• What is the name of the protist that undergoes a multicellular development stage when food is scarce?

   

   

  Dictyostelium discoideum
• Protists are defined as eukaryotes that are not land plants, animals or fungi. It is also common to hear it said that protists are "embedded in the tree of life'. Describe what this means:


  Protists are highly diverse microorganisms who are not a single group, rather protists can be more closely related to fungi, animals and plants than they are to one another
• Describe 3 things about Dictyostelium discoideum

  This organism is completely sequenced. 

  It consumes bacterial prey by phagocytosis. 

  It undergoes a multicellular development stage once food is scarce. Individual cells cooperate to become a motile slug and a fruiting body. 
• describe phytophthora agathidicida 


  This is a oomycete protozoa, which is a fungi-like eukaryote. They are filamentous and heterotrophic.

  It has zoospores and is a disease of Kauri trees in New Zealand. 

  It has recently been discovered to be susceptible to kanuka, which inhibits the germination of zoospores. 
• what are oomycetes ?

  Fungi-like eukaryotic microorganisms, they include some of the most devastating plant pathogens such as phytophthora agathidicida.
• Describe Paramecium caudatum


  It is a well-studied single-celled organism found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments. It moves using hair-like structures called cilia and feeds on microorganisms and organic particles in its surroundings.