Protozoans |
Algae |
|
|
Have you ever looked at pond water under a microscope? If so, you have probably seen many different types of microorganisms. One common group of microorganisms is called protists. The table below shows information about four common types of protists.
Using the information in the table, illustrate a completed example of each organism. When your illustrations are completed compare them to actual pictures of each organism by pressing the links in the last row of the table.
| Paramecium |
Euglena |
Amoeba |
Spirogyra (Algae) |
|
| Animal-like/plant-like |
A paramecium is animal-like because it moves and searches for its own food. |
The have characteristics of both plant and animal. Sometimes they make food and sometimes they don’t. | An amoeba is animal-like because of its ability to move. It searches for its own food. |
A spirogyra is plant-like because of the presence of chlorophyll which allows it to make its own food. |
| Shape |
Elongated oval-shaped body | Narrow oval-shaped body | Irregular shaped body |
Tubelike body |
| Movement |
Tiny hair like structures surrounding the body called cilia |
One long and short tail-like structure called flagella |
They push and pull with their pseudopods or false feet. |
Free floating |
| Consumer/Producer |
They find their own food. Consumer |
They can produce food through photosynthesis or consume food. Either Consumer or Producer |
They engulf food by surrounding it and pulling it in by the use of their pseudopodia. Consumer |
They produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Producer |
| Color |
Pale translucent color | Green because of chlorophll. |
Pale translucent color | Green because of chlorophyll |
| Links to photographs and line drawings |
Extension:
- Explain how the different types of appendages help protists move.
- Explain the function of the green color found in some protists.
Previous
| ||||||
| Get the plug-ins: Want to share a photograph of you or your friends doing this activity? Send the photograph attached to an e-mail with the following information: the title of the activity, the URL (Internet address), and your name. Remember that no picture can be used showing student faces or with a student name on it. Send comments to Glen Westbroek. Updated July 21, 2005 by: Glen
Westbroek |
