Protozoa are single-celled animals too small to see with the naked eye. Protozoa live in water individually or in colonies (plankton) and are an important food supply for other underwater creatures. Many are parasitic in other animals, including humans. Protozoa are infamous for their role in causing diseases, and parasitic species are among the best-known protozoa. They feed by taking in other organisms such as bacteria and algae or organic particles such as animal or plant debris. Sugars can be absorbed directly through the cell envelope. Parasitic protozoa take nutrients from the body fluids of their hosts. Paramecium, Euglena, and Amoeba are well-known examples of these major groups of organisms. A great picture of paramecium, their cilia and insides. Euglena are photosynthesis ready. Their bodies are full of chloroplasts. Amoeba (UH-MEE-BAH) are my favorite microorganism. They are slow and stealthy hunters who slowly sneak up on their prey and then engulf them! The name protozoa means “first animals.” As the first hunters and grazers of the microbial world, protozoa play a key role in maintaining the balance of bacterial, algal, and other microbial life. They also are themselves an important food source for larger creatures and the base of many food chains. Protozoa have been found in almost every kind of soil environment from peat bogs to arid desert sands. They teem in the deep sea as well as near the surface of waters, and can be found even in frigid Arctic and Antarctic waters. Some protozoa absorb food through their cell membranes. Others, like the amoebas , surround food and engulf it. Others have openings called mouth pores into which they sweep food. All protozoa digest their food in stomach-like compartments called vacuoles <vac-you-ohls>. As they chow down, they make and give off nitrogen, which is an element that plants and other higher creatures can use. Perhaps the best-known protozoan menace is Plasmodium <plaz-mo-dee-um>, the parasite that causes malaria. This terrible disease leads to about 800,000 deaths each year worldwide. The parasite enters a red blood cell and begins to eat and reproduce creating more plasmodium. Without medical treatment people die from this teeny organism making its home in the body. The big question is: if plasmodium eventually kill their host then wouldn't all the plasmodium die too? If they are "little animals" wouldn't they want to survive as long as possible? The answer is yes! Plasmodium has "learned" over a long period of time that they need another host called a vector that will transport them to another host...the vector is the mosquito...Plasmodium will congregate toward the surface of the skin early in the morning and early evening when the mosquitos are out. Scientists truly believe that Plasmodium is "smart".....
14 Comments
Zane
5/2/2017 03:31:09 pm
wow thats so cool
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Meirah
5/2/2017 03:35:16 pm
That is so cool!!!!
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Tabitha
5/2/2017 04:08:12 pm
The amoeba is really cool.i think it would be fun to watch them "hunt"
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jenna
5/2/2017 04:46:39 pm
ok that video is funny
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Sofia
5/2/2017 04:59:44 pm
Mosquitos are the worst!
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Caden
5/2/2017 06:53:47 pm
The pictures of parasites are cool
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Katelyn Ashton
5/2/2017 08:40:54 pm
Mosquitoes are JERKS!!
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jaxon bunker
5/2/2017 08:57:59 pm
i like dem pics
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Emmalee
5/2/2017 09:52:03 pm
Mosquitoes are the worst!!!!!
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Emmalee
5/2/2017 09:53:25 pm
By the way i am not copying Sofia, i didnt read the other posts.
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Paige
5/2/2017 10:23:00 pm
I hate mosquitoes. Bacteria is very cool but
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Addie j
5/2/2017 11:22:15 pm
I hate mosquitos, I have a mosquito bite on my ankle and it's HUGE!
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Zaya
5/3/2017 07:22:10 am
Protozoans look scary and sound really creepy... 😬
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Brady
5/3/2017 07:34:06 am
The Amoeba look scary. What if they were inside humans!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |