Protists
Laboratory Exercise and Notes
The goal of this exercise is to learn about the protists. We will study major phyla and for most of the phyla, we will study representative genera.
For each specimen:
1) Read the information in The Biology Web for that specimen. Click here to go to the lecture notes on protists.
2) Create notes. Your notes can be used on the quiz. They should include a drawing and discription and significant information such as life cycle, commercial value, ecological significance, and unusual characteristics.
Kinetoplastids
Trypanosoma is a zooflagellate that causes African sleeping sickness.
Trypanosoma gambiense*
Euglenids
Euglena*
Dinoflagellates
A dinoflagellate Peridinium (a dinoflagellate)
Ciliates
Paramecium caudatum* Conjugation in Paramecium Paramecium movement (video) Vorticella
Diatoms
Mixed diatoms
Brown Algae
Fucus, Macrocystis, Nereocystis, Sargassam, Laminaria
Fucus* Fucus* Sargassam Macrocystis Nereocystis
Laminarma
Radiolarians
Radiolarians
Foraminiferans
A foraminiferan test (shell)
Red Algae
Some red algae such as Corallina secrete calcium carbonate and may contribute to the development of coral reefs.
Corallina* Ceramium
Green Algae
Chlamydomonas is a unicellular green alga.
Click on the photographs below to view enlargements. Click the "Back" button to return here.
Chlamydomonas* Chlamydomonas*
showing flagellaSpirogyra is a filamentous form.
Spirogyra* (live) X 40 Spirogyra* (live) X 200 Click here to go to the notes on the Spirogyra life cycle.
Spirogyra conjugation Volvox is a colonial form.
Volvox* (live) X 100 Volvox* Ulva is multicellular. You will need to remove it from the container.
Ulva*
Plasmodial Slime Molds
Physarum polycephalum
Gymnamoebas
Amoeba proteus*
