Funguslike Protists Domain Eukarya Kingdom Protista Phylum there

Fungus-like Protists… • Domain: Eukarya • Kingdom: Protista • Phylum: there are four – 1. Myxomycota – 2. Dictyostelida – 3. Oomycota – 4. Chytridiomycota

Phylum: Myxomycota • Plasmodial Slime mold • Very cool organisms that are really just one giant cell • Can grow to be several square meters • Move along forest floors & consume decaying materials as food through endocytosis

Phylum: Dictyostelida • Cellular slime molds • Much like the plasmodial slime mold EXCEPT is made up of many individual cells! – Plasmodial: huge unicellular mold – Cellular: multicellular mold

Phylum: Oomycota • Water molds • Parasitic organisms that attack fish Phylum: Chytridiomycota §Water molds §Scientists think that these may be the link between the Protista kingdom & the Fungi kingdom

Humans & Protists • Protists are used for food: • Asian cultures & Great Britain mostly • Has just begun to enter American market (sushi, health food stores) • But has been used as a thickener in ice cream for decades! • Protists are used in products: • Detergents, paint removers, toothpaste

• Malaria-spread by the mosquito – The protist enters the bloodstream & moves to the liver where it can cause massive damage – Symptoms: high fever, severe chills, headache & liver damage • Giardiasis - spread through contaminated drinking water – Caused by Giardia lamblia – Also known as “Montazuma’s Revenge” – Severe diarrhea, abdominal cramping

• Sleeping Sickness: this protist is spread by the Tse fly • Tse flies live only in Africa • When the fly bites, it passes on the protist • Symptoms include: headache, fever, swollen lymph nodes, coma & death

The End!!